My daughter is well into her 20th
month and the words are starting to pour in. Among them is the word “amen,”
which she repeats at times after prayer. I was highly amused to hear this word
among her firsts. I know of course that her understanding of it is quite
limited. To her, “amen” is mostly a word she’s heard enough to mimic – much
like “hi dada” and “eat.” I would say however that, unlike these other words
and phrases, “amen” is directly associated
with our prayers to the LORD. And so for that reason alone, I am glad to hear
it among my daughter’s first words. If for nothing else, it means that we are
praying for her often.
As a whole, prayer is becoming an increasingly
vital part of my life. I go through seasons when I pray more frequently than
others. But in practice, prayer ought to be habitual for the Christian. The
Bible is not without its exhortations on this point, see: Luke 11:1-13; Luke 18:1-8; Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
I recently heard a sermon by the late James Boice on Ephesians one. Highlighting verse sixteen, he explained that while God
is sovereign and orders everything according to His perfect will, He
nevertheless accomplishes those purposes through the instrument of prayer. God
works through means, and one of those means is the God-honoring prayers of His
people. What an astounding truth! The LORD uses the prayers of His own to
advance His kingdom and fulfill His will on earth (Matthew 6:9-10). What a
great salvation we have!
Convinced of this then, the Christian ought to
be encouraged, even compelled, to pray with persistence. In his book, Knowing God, J.I. Packer states: “People
who know their God are before anything else people who pray,” and not only
this, but “their zeal and energy for God’s glory come to expression…in their
prayers.”[1]
Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:1-19 serves as the example for this point. And what
an incredible prayer we find there.
I say amen to it. Like Daniel, I understand that the salvation of my daughter belongs solely to God who alone is righteous. Her deliverance from innate sin will be the result of His extended mercy, ultimately for the sake of His own name. And so with great contrition, humility and a burning hope, I will call to Him daily in prayer for her redemption. I say amen to that too … and listen for a little voice to echo it back.