A young, eager minister moves to a small, rural town to take over the local church. He buys a horse from an old, retired preacher to help him get around the countryside to visit his new parishioners.
Before handing over the reins, the old preacher gives the young minister vital advice. “Now, son, this horse is a holy animal, and he was trained a bit differently than normal horses. If you want him to go forward, you don’t say ‘giddy up.’ You have to say, ‘Praise the Lord!‘ And if you want him to stop, you don’t pull back and yell ‘whoa!’ You have to say, ‘Amen!’“
The young minister nods enthusiastically. “Got it! Praise the Lord to go, Amen to stop.”
He hops into the saddle, clears his throat, and says, “Praise the Lord!”
Sure enough, the horse starts walking forward at a gentle, comfortable pace. The minister is delighted. He rides down the lane, enjoying the sunshine. Wanting to test the speed, he says it again: “Praise the Lord!” The horse breaks into a swift, steady trot.
The minister is having a wonderful time until the path takes a sharp turn out of the woods and leads directly toward a massive, sheer cliffside.
Panicking, the minister completely forgets his instructions. He pulls back on the reins and yells, “Whoa! Stop! Hold on, horse!”
The horse doesn’t slow down. It keeps charging ahead, right toward the cliff’s edge.
The minister’s heart is pounding in his chest. He tries everything. “Stop, please! Back up!”
The cliff edge is getting closer and closer—fifty feet, thirty feet, ten feet.
Suddenly, at the very last absolute second, the memory flashes through his mind. He screams at the top of his lungs, “AMEN!”
Never before, in the minister’s life, has an “AMEN” held such meaning!