By David ReayWednesday 29 Sep 2021LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 2 minutes
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (NIV)
These very last words from the cross spoken by Jesus were often used as a ritual bedtime prayer by people of faith at that time. It was a simple expression of commitment. Going to sleep, or in this case, dying, meant a certain surrendering, an abandonment.
It is a recognition that there are times in our lives when we can no longer pull the levers of control, when we can no longer stage manage events, when we money or power cannot put us in charge. When we are asleep we are powerless, life goes on without us. Sleep can be seen as God’s way of reminding us none of us is indispensable.
And at a point of death, that sense of helplessness and powerlessness is more complete. Jesus had endured all that evil could throw at him. He had experienced God forsakenness. When he cried out earlier asking why God had forsaken him, it marked the only time Jesus never called God “Father”. The relationship had somehow been broken.
But now, all is well again. His mission has been accomplished. He knew when he drew his last breath that he was not entering some fearsome dark void, not encountering some shadowy limbo land full of unknown horrors. He was in the safe hands of his Father.
And so it is with us, not just at death, not even just as we fall asleep each night. Life will throw a lot at us, we will sometimes feel insecure and unsafe. But in the end, we commit ourselves to our Father, trusting he will hold us close and securely. We will be in safe hands.
Blessings,
David