I grew up in a little Baptist church where everyone shouted a hearty “amen” when they heard something they liked. The cadence of the Pastor and his message would often be adjusted by the ebb and flow of those amens. It was a way to signal our approval of a point or even as an expression of worship.

In Hebrew, “amen” means to “give support,” or to “be faithful and true.” In Greek it carries the idea of a “firm foundation.”

But a professor in the art department at Biola University (Barry Krammes) taught me that Jesus often used the “amen” not at the end of his statements, but at the beginning. “There are at least fifty verses in the Scripture where He did this. Whenever Jesus stated a statement with ‘Verily, verily I say unto you…” He was essentially saying ‘Amen, Amen. My promises are sure; they are trustworthy and full of deepest integrity.’”

So, I thought of a neat passage of scripture that you and I can shout an enthusiastic AMEN to. Consider Matthew 1:23. It is the passage when the angel is telling Joseph to name the baby Jesus. Matthew then quotes from Isaiah, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel-which means God with us.”

There is another way to translate the later part of that verse. In fact, more accurately, it could be rendered, “…they will KEEP CALLING His name IMMANUEL.”

Now, I know this is typically a verse we study around Christmas time, but I think we might want to shout a robust AMEN right here.

Every day, even those days that severely try our patience, or stretch our strength to the limit, we get the privilege to stand and call out this truth, “He is with us.” He is STILL with us 2000 years later. And He will be with us for all eternity.

So, let’s all try a new way of thinking. Let’s try: “Amen! I can go to the doctor’s office without fear, because He is with me.” “Amen! I can confidently have that difficult conversation with my spouse or teenager, because He is with me!” “Amen! I can joyfully take on that new assignment at work, because He is with me!”

AMEN. His promises are true. Count on it!