By Dr. Rebekah McCloud
The word Amen can be used as an interjection, adverb or noun. Literally translated as an interjection, amen means so be it. It means that you accept and agree with something. You approve it, embrace it, ratify it, validate it, give your informed consent, or have buy-in. So be it is found in the King James Version of the Bible 103 times. Jesus used it when he gave John permission to baptize him. Amen, so be it.
Last month in one of my nuggets, I challenged us to declare and decree things for 2019 rather than resolve to do them. Remember, declare means to announce the beginning of a thing[1] and decree is to order a thing to be done.[2]Also, only 8% of people who make resolutions achieve them.[3] So, Grace, resolutions are not for us. I started us off with three things we could declare and decree: (1) spend more time with God, (2) depend on God and (3) be the person God has called us to be.
I’m not going to ask anybody to raise their hand, say amen or talk to their neighbor to report on their progress toward the things they declared and decreed for 2019. We know where we are. We know if we were off to a good start, if we started and stopped or if we didn’t start at all. I want to provide a little encouragement. Amen, so be it.
There’s a verse in the Bible that brings encouragement to me. It says, “The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.” Now, I know some of you are puzzled and are asking what does this have to do with declaring and decreeing or so be it?
Let me provide a little context and an explanation. This passage is referencing Moses the Israelites. Pharaoh and his army were in pursuit of them. The Israelites were afraid that he would catch them and kill them. So, they said to Moses in Exodus 14:12, “Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” Moses answered the people in verse 13, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.”
For me, the Egyptians are a metaphor for barriers, obstacles and challenges that are in my way. They are those things that keep me from achieving what I declared and decreed; like spending more time with God and depending on him. But, when I lean not to my own understanding, when I trust in him, when I depend on him and when I put my hand in his, the Egyptians are no more. They are but a vapor.
Do any of you have Egyptians today that you never want to see again? Just remember and obey the words of Moses, to “stand firm,” and see the deliverance of the Lord. Amen, so be it.
Grace, we are on a timeline. The Bible promises us three score and ten; that’s 70 years. There are some of us who have passed 70. Momma made it to 95. There are some who are just getting started or are in the middle. Still there are some, like me, who are approaching the promise. But I’ve asked God for some gravy; I want at least 100 years. Dr. Martha told me about one of her relatives who asked God for 101 years and said when she got there, she’d renegotiate. Amen, I like that.
So, we are on this timeline and need to be the person that God has called us to be. We need to be good stewards of our time, talent, money and our resources. We need to be fishers of men. We need to be about our father’s business. Ephesians 5:16 tells us we should, “redeem the time.” We should make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Amen, so be it.
Earlier, I said I’m not going to ask anybody to raise their hand, say amen or talk to their neighbor to report on their progress toward the things they declared and decreed for 2019. We know where we are. We know if we were off to a good start, if we started and stopped or if we didn’t start at all.
Let’s take solace in Romans 4:17; the New International Version says in part, God “calls into being things that were not.” The New Living Translation says God, “creates new things out of nothing.” The English Standard Versions says, God “calls into existence the things that do not exist” and the King James Version says, God “calleth those things which be not as though they were.” Amen, so be it.
Let me pose a question for you to ponder. There were three frogs on a log and one of them made a decision to jump in. How many were left? Let me say it again. There were three frogs on a log and one of them made a decision to jump in. How many were left? The answer is there are still three frogs on a log, he only made a decision, he took no action!
Let
me encourage us to take some action towards spending more time with God,
depending on God, and being the person God has called us to be. Let’s get rid
of those Egyptians and see them no more. Let’s redeem the time. Let’s call those
things which be not as though they were. And, let’s eliminate the words someday
and one day from our vocabulary. Let’s make our someday and one day—today! Amen
and Amen, so be it!
[1] Bing Dictionary at https://www.bing.com/search?q=declare&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&pq=declare&sc=8-7&sk=&cvid=63A820C00AD14ADBBFE6A62D337414EA
[2] Bing Dictionary at https://www.bing.com/search?q=decree&cbir=sbi&imageBin=&qs=n&form=QBRE&sp=-1&ghc=2&pq=decre&sc=8-5&sk=&cvid=BD8F2454D0CE406091DA0EECC94B8CD8
[3] Diamond, D. Just 8% of People Achieve Their New Year’s Resolutions. Here’s How They Do It. (2013). At https://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2013/01/01/just-8-of-people-achieve-their-new-years-resolutions-heres-how-they-did-it/#1e69585b596b G