When we Say AmenSummary: When we say Amen, we are declaring our trust AND commitment to a God who has demonstrated his faithfulness. In this lesson, we will explore the meaning of Amen as it applies both to God and to our response to God. It is more than just a conclusion to a prayer. It is a response of a trusting commitment to a faithful God.
Open (5 minutes)
1. Have you ever had a difficult time trusting a parent? Freind? Spouse?
Dig (20 minutes)
2. (Gen 28:10-22) How did God demonstrate his faithfulness to Jacob?
3. Why do you suppose Jacob reacted the way he did to God's promise?
4. What could have been different about Jacob's life if he had reacted differently to God at Bethel?
5. (Gen 32:22-32) Why do you suppose God wrestled with Jacob and dislocated his leg?
6. What effect would the encounter have had on him for the rest of his life?
7. How did Jacob "prevail" in his struggle?
8. (2 Cor 1:18-20) - How does this passage relate to the Jacob story? How is God our Amen?
Apply (20 minutes)
9. What have you learned new about saying "Amen?"
10. Name as many promises of God as you can think of. (example: God will clothe us better than the lillies of the field; seek first his kingdom... All things work out together for good ....)
11. What motivate you to worry and wrestle to gain what God promises to give you anyway? What effect does a lack of "Amen" to God and his promises have on your life?
12. In what ways do you need to change your life in order to give God a better "Amen?"
13. How would your life look different with a better "Amen" to God? Make a resolution to work on one thing to improve your Amen.
Optional Question if there is time:
Which of the following would you balk at the most? Why?
- An Angel tells you that you have been called to train up your child to go as a missionary to Irian Jaya, the western part of New Guinea where the natives are still savage stone age peoples untouched for centuries by the outside world. It is a dangerous place, and visitors to the island have been speared before.
- After much prayer and study you find that your employment and your faith do not seem to be compatible. Even though it is good money, you find that in addition to working 14-16 hours a day, you usually work on weekends. After praying about it, a job opportunity is offered to you that would place you at home on the weekends and in the evenings, and allow you to go to worship on Sundays. However, the job has no benefits, and is considerably less money than what you are making now. You would need to live at a lower standard that you are now.
Prayer - Read James 1:5-6 and pray