ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Tokonaki Fepueli 4, 2023

אמן The Amen of Faith

KO E ‘EMENI ‘A E TUI 

GENESIS 15:6

AND [ABRAM] BELIEVED THE LORD, AND HE COUNTED IT TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

SENESI 15:6

Pea ne tui kia Sihova: pea ne lau ia ma‘ane mā‘oni‘oni.

The verb "believe" is aman, the same root from which we get Amen, the Hebrew word found in virtually every language. To aman is to say Amen. It is the quintessential word of faith. Abram stood firm, trusted, was certain that God would indeed give him offspring like the innumerable stars in the heavens (Gen. 15:5). He didn't understand how. He was an octogenarian, after all, and Sarai ten years his junior. Paul, rather bluntly, said Abram was so old he was "as good as dead" and his wife's womb was dead (Rom. 4:19). Nevertheless, he was "fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised" (v. 21). In other words, despite all appearances to the contrary, Abram said Amen to God's seemingly foolish and impossible word.

So do we. If from a man "as good as dead" and a woman's "dead" womb God could bring forth the promised son, Isaac, then that same God could and did bring forth his own dead Son from tomb of death in his glorious resurrection. To Easter we say Amen. We stand firm in the promise of God. And that faith is counted to us as righteousness. Not because we've done anything, but because God in Christ has done it all for us.

Lord Jesus, our Amen, the faithful and true witness, give us faith to trust you in all things (Rev. 3:14).