Amen and Amen

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen." Psalms 41:13

The 150 Psalms are divided into five books. The first book, chapters 1-41 take us on a journey through suffering, sorrow and great joy. It teaches us about God’s eternal love and care for is and that we should trust Him even in the everyday experiences of life. Psalm 41:13 is a doxology or closure to the first book and just like in real life, from time to time we must wrap things up and the begin anew.

Recently I have been anticipating a time of personal inventory associated with my 60th birthday on January 27th and also the 10th Anniversary of some cataclysmic yet miraculous events in my life. I survived near destruction and devastation and experienced deliverance and dynamic renewal. So I am relating to this doxology and how it is an effective way to end and begin seasons of life whether they are a decade or a few days. No matter what always, always, always… Praise the Lord is a good way to start when considering one’s life before God. Not just Praise the Lord, because I do it all the time but truly reflectively and specifically, consciously I really do Praise Him for all that has been, is and will be. He who is from the before the beginning to after the end deserves praise. He always was and is right now and always will be. On that I can rely and trust and it is the foundation of my faith, my hope and my life. As this doxology finally states…Amen and Amen. Which means, so be it and so be it. To me at this time of deep reflection that means “so be it” for what was, “so be it” for what is and “so be it” for what will be. I encourage all of us to continually put both the minute and the big picture in perspective by recognizing that the God of eternity is also the Lord of the moment, and all seasons, sort and long and I between. God is both the author and finisher of every life of faith and of the whole story of existence. So when it wasn’t, isn’t, and might not be as I thought, planned or expected it to be… Praise the Lord, Amen, So be it. I know that is right, but not always easy. Sometimes the bigger the picture you look at the greater the distance can be from our ideas, plans, and expectations. Subsequently all the more the need for deeper trust and greater grace so, as you look at your own life and try to put the past behind you, the present in perspective and the future in His hands, do so with a Praise the Lord and an Amen. I am a blessed man. The next decade awaits and moment by moment…So be it.

Tweet