And All God's People Said...

The shortest prayer there ever was is still in use today. If we can't think of how to articulate what it is we want to say when we pray, oftentimes the word "Amen" is enough. Amen is a word of great biblical Hebrew origin. It's said to have originated in Hebrew scriptures as a confirmatory response. When your family is tired of cooking and doing dishes and someone finally breaks the ice to say, "I'm tired of all this cooking and cleaning, we're getting pizza tonight!", the natural response is always, "Amen." When little Johnny or little Susie has been playing their new musical instrument for hours and has no clue what they are doing, but love to hear it make noise, someone has to have the courage to say, "Let's give this a rest for a while." Shortly after, everyone in the room is likely to say, "Amen." I have heard many different types of prayers over the years, but every single one has always ended with Amen. The word is so important, it's the last word in the Bible.

The last four verses in the bible are found in Revelation 22:18-21. In these verses, the Apostle John (the writer of the book of Revelation) says, "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen."

The book of Revelation is a lot to unpack in one devotional, but its conclusion (a.k.a. the Bible's conclusion) gives Christians both earthly and eternal confidence. To say Amen is to say, "it is so" or "so be it." If we read our Bible, study our Bible, and really believe in the Bible, we can surely acknowledge and trust that Christ will come back again for us one day. No one knows when that day will come, but there's still plenty of work to do for God in the meantime. Regardless of who or what we encounter throughout our lives, we know that God is always with us. Until that glorious day, may the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. And all God's people said...

Amen.

-Jacob

---