Into Thy Hands

"Into thy hands, Father, I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46)

This was the ultimate surrender of loving trust.

Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man, KNEW His Father intimately. As a man, He had spent hours alone with His Father in the intimacy of prayer. "Jesus himself would often slip away to the wilderness to pray." (Luke 5:16) All that Jesus did, all of His life, was in constant communion and fellowship with His Father. He lived in perfect oneness and obedience with Him--filled with His very life, love, and power.

In this moment, however, He hangs on a Roman cross in utter agony, pain, and suffering. For the first time in His eternal existence, His Father has turned away from Him. As Jesus bears and represents the sins of the world, His Father's, face, love, approval, help, strength, and comfort cannot be His.

He is forsaken. (All with a purpose...but how appaling that must have been!)

What is His response?

Through the darkness, silence, and agony, the Lord Jesus cries out to His Father whom He cannot see or feel in that moment. When everything looks and feels like complete defeat, He cries out, "Father." Then He follows it with, "into thy hands I commit my spirit."

This is an expression of utter trust in a moment when there is nothing to encourage trust. Through the darkness, Jesus cries out in surrender. He lets His very life go into the hands of the One who turned away from Him, believing in His Person, His Heart, and His Power.

This is an expression of utter trust in a moment when there is nothing to encourage trust.

This scene prompts deep thought and adoring wonder. It also brings a question...

If the Son of God, in His darkest hour, freely and utterly abandoned His life to God, (letting it go into His hands)...should not I do the same?

We are called to walk in surrender and faith. Surrender and faith have the same object: God Himself. We surrender to God and have faith in God. The Son of God knew His Father, and He did not hesistate to trust Him, even in the hour of deepest darkness.

And so must I.

No matter how dark or silent the hour may be, no matter how much it looks like defeat...those who surrender themsleves into God's hands may look to Him in hope. Let God write the rest of the story. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." (Psalm 30:5) After the Cross comes the Ressurection. God brings about a new day.

Those who surrender themselves into God's hands may look to Him in hope. Let God write the rest of the story.

How can we be ready to trust God like this in the hour of crisis?

By practicing the same attitude every single day.

Those who are able to say, "Into thy hands I commit my spirit" when all goes dark are those who learn to practice saying, "Into thy hands I commit my spirit" on the ordinary days. We may not use those exact words, but it's an attitude of heart--a deliberately chosen stance. "I surrender, Lord Jesus, to You today. You are worthy of my trust. Teach me to do your will." This will prepare us for all the tomorrows.

And yes, indeed...He is worthy of our trust.