Final Commitment

“Into Your hand I commit My spirit…” Psalm 31:5a

Now I lay me down to sleep

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

If I should die before I wake

I pray the Lord my soul to take.

 Many of us prayed this prayer on our knees each night before being tucked snugly into our bed. Our parent sat beside us on the bed and listened to our prayer. Satisfied that we had made contact in prayer with the God of the universe, we would be kissed and tucked in place until morning.

We didn’t know then what scientists now tell us: when we sleep, we are very close to death. We have no control over our bodily processes, and we trust God to keep our hearts beating and our organs functioning. We do, literally, commit our souls into God’s hand. If we do not wake in the morning, then we trust that the Lord has taken our souls to be with Him.

On the cross, Jesus spoke these same words when He spoke His final words on the earth. “And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46).

Jewish children in Bible times prayed “Into Your hand I commit my spirit” each night before sleeping. Maybe they still do. They knew the words well. But the adults knew the words were first uttered by King David, persecuted, running for his life, hiding in caves, pursued by haters. The adults knew the rest of the verse: “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth” (Psalm 31:5).

God’s hands are a safe place to rest. When we commit our souls into His keeping, we are saying, “We trust You, Lord, whatever befalls us, whatever comes next.” When things look darkest, we can wait for Him to shine light again. When we don’t understand, we can rest assured that He will show us some day. “…What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this” (John 13:7).

“…For so He gives His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2b). A trustworthy word for when we are near death, when our thoughts and our bodies are out of our control and into His alone!

Father, we commit our spirit into Your strong hands, as trusting as little children who do not know anything more than that You love them. When You come for us, we know beyond all doubt that You will take us to be with You. In Jesus’ Name we believe and pray. Amen.