One of the biggest problems before the Christian faith today is that all Christians claim they believe in God, but not all of them live according to their own claims. In other words, many of us daily call ourselves Christians, but far too many of us don’t live like Christians.

Let’s look at the relationship between a child and his or her parents as an analogue of ours with God. When a child truly trusts his or her parents, he or she waits patiently and faith till their promises come true. When mummy and daddy promise their son a new bicycle he doesn’t immediately run out, seeking for ways to buy it himself earlier than it’s promised to him. Where there is trust in a relationship between two sides, there is also patience and faith.

Between many believers and God, however, the trust is little… so, naturally, many Christians quickly run out of patience and lose faith. God, on the other hand, doesn’t cease caring for us, but how is it possible to feel Him caring if all the time we’re trying to solve our problems on our own and pay more attention to them than we do to God?

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7, NIV).

Apostle Peter encourages us to humble ourselves before God. In other words – to confess that without Him there is nowhere we can get to; without Him there’s no feature for us; without Him our lives will be an endless fight against yet bigger problems. It’s about time for us to realized that we are the weak and God is the strong one. Doing this doesn’t mean that all of a sudden our lives will be flawless and problems will be nowhere to be seen. If we are humble before God, however, the problems will not dominate our lives but daily we will be above them, with our focus turned to what is of true matter – God.

When we start trusting God as much as we claim that we believe in Him, then we will begin to feel his care in a different, for some of us even unknown way. If we really have trust and faith in God, then as a problem comes before us we will first turn to God with a prayer for help. We will wait on His answer patiently and full of faith. And because God Himself has promised us – the answer will come, undoubtedly.

If, on the other hand, we chose to first go and try fix everything ourselves, with our own strength… or even worse – with money, then we better get ready for catastrophic consequences. Not only materially, but also spiritually. Although God will not cease caring for us and loving us, should we continue living our lives in such a way, we will one day wake up with more faith in ourselves than in God. And this is the day God will become unnecessary. We can easily lose our faith, the people around us, but worse of all – our future.

Our life with God requires daily care and a continual communication with Him. Two or three quickly put together prayers just won’t cut it. We ought to first establish our trust in Him. When this trust is real, then it won’t be hard for you to turn to God even for the smallest of things in life. It will be a joy to tell Him even of the biggest issues and troubles in your life. So, cast your cares on Him because He cares for you. Then you will have even more time to spend growing in your faith and relationship with God.

The word Amen has a Hebrew origin and after it has entered Greek through the first century Church, today it is a part for almost every language. Generally speaking, Amen means a strong agreement with something, or a strong affirmation. It can also be translated as “verily”, “truly”, “let it be” or “so let it be.” The use of this word as a part of God’s worship dates back to the times of the Old Testament. This is where today’s Christian use is inherited from – its use in the Hebrew synagogues. Just as back then, today we say Amen at the end of prayers as a symbol of our affirmation thereof, as well as after we have accepted a blessing from an elder or another person, even outside of the context of the church gathering.

For many Christians, however, this small word has lost much of its meaning due to its almost automated daily usage. The question we ought to ask ourselves now is “Do we even think about what we mean by saying Amen, or do we just do it because it’s become a habit?”

In his letters, through his own experience, apostle Paul reveals to us the importance of the correct understanding of the word. And in order to understand the power of this affirmation at the end of prayers we need to listen carefully to the preceding words.

Philippians 4:20: “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (NIV).
Notice that he does not pray in a selfish way, nor does he seek benefits for his own. Paul’s prayers ending on Amen are not prayers for more money, a newer car, or even an easy and more secure life. No, his prayers are prayers for God’s glorification and the spreading of the Gospel. These are the things that apostle Paul gives his affirmation to.
So, as you pray, instead of Amen, finish with “So let it be!” and you will see yourself the difference. When the use of the word is so automatic as it has become today, it not only loses its meaning, but the words spoken before that can so easily be influenced by the world around us. You can avoid the selfish and wrong prayer as you continually remind yourself of the meaning of Amen. Also, pay careful attention to the fact that God will most likely not give His affirmation to the majority of things from this world that we often desire to pray for.

An Amen at the end of the prayer is also an indicator of your faith. Finishing your prayers with Amen hoping that by some magical and mystical way it will make your wishes come true will not get you far. Yet, praying in God’s will with faith that He alone is the one able to do all things and for Him there is nothing impossible… Then you will see the power of the words “So let it be!” These are not words of doubt or desperation, but words of hope and faith. And namely this is what God desires for your life to have – a sincere hope and faith in Him.
An example for such faith you can find in 1 Peter 5:10-11: “And the god of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen” (NIV).
Just a verse earlier Peter is warning about the evil plans of the devil, but his hope for the believers is just as great as his faith in God. Because of this, while knowing that it will be so difficult, he can pray powerfully for you and for me.

So, do you pray properly and with faith? As surprising as it might sound, the answer to this question you will find in the last word of your prayers – Amen.