Nehemiah 8:6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon returns an answer for amen which is tied very closely to faithfulness. The document states “Its proper place is where one person confirms the words of another, and expresses a wish for the issue of his vows or predictions; fiat, ita sit; Amen, so be it;”

I had asked for a definition in Sunday School class one day for amen. I waited for the typical answer found on the lips of most Christians, “I agree”. A young lady answered in the spirit with the most perfect of answers which reached back thru time and illuminated that answer found in this Lexicon.

“May it be so with me.”

She expressed the wish of the issue of the vow in a most personal way. Not that I simply agree, but let it be done unto me according to your Word O Lord. That is a personal response that goes beyond belief and agreement, it indicates faithfulness.

So many times I hear statements of faith that are safe because they see no risk in agreement. It is so easy to agree when you don’t have skin in the game. We praise God in forgiveness, mercy and grace when it is extended towards us.

Matthew 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Ouch.

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Self-sacrifice sounds easy until we come up against that moment when self takes the driver’s seat. We start heading towards the intersection of mercy and forgiveness because we failed to be AMEN in that moment.