I Entrust My Spirit

Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. Luke 23:46

Indicative of His time on earth, Jesus’ last words were a prayer to His Father and a recitation of scripture from Psalm 31:5, “I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God.”

Jesus adds the endearing name “Father” to His version which expresses the beautiful love and trust He has for God even in this agonizing moment. The psalms are filled with prayers and praises to God for His infinite and unchanging love, power, wisdom, and rescue. Indeed, they are a powerful source for God’s truth in troubled times and is no wonder our Savior spoke them in His last words.

In his commentary Lawrence D. Richards writes,

“(This) psalm is a beautiful expression of unshakable confidence. It reminds us that, although Christ accepted death as the Father’s will, His suffering in no way threatened the loving bond of trust that existed between them. The words of that psalm, penned by David, remind us that even in the darkest of times God is our refuge too. Jesus’ willingness to suffer for us is unshakable proof that as He committed His spirit into the Father’s hands, so can we.”