Psalm 131: Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit

Today’s reading is Psalm 131.

Extreme Calm

The pilgrim psalmist was satisfied with God’s presence, content with God’s Word, sufficed by God’s grace, and confident in God’s promise. What a beautiful picture. But has anyone ever pulled that off completely? Yes. In fact, someone has: Jesus.

We could, no doubt, trace these concepts throughout the life of Jesus. But, to me, one moment stands out as a clear, incredible, and extreme example of this calm, quiet trust. It will, no doubt, be an odd one because it was at a moment which physically was anything but calm and quiet for Jesus. His own body screamed with pain. The crowd around Him yelled taunts. Yet, in Luke 23:46, Jesus pushed up on the spike through His feet to gasp out one last statement, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (ESV).

That is an incredible statement all on its own. However, recognize Jesus’s final statement was not just a saying. It called to mind a context.

For you are my rock and my fortress;
and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;
you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
–Psalm 31:3-5 (ESV)

Jesus is not merely saying, “My spirit is about to leave my body and it is coming to You, Father.” He is expressing His trust and refuge in the Father. Most folks expect God to save their lives from such awful, agonizing death as Jesus experienced. But the Father held back His own hand and watched this terrible tragedy. He let the net the people had laid around His Son snap closed over Jesus’s head and strangle Him to death. Yet, even in this moment Jesus hoped in the redeeming promise of the Father. And He breathed His last.

Except not.

On the third day, He began breathing again. The stone rolled back. The tomb was empty. Then the women and the disciples saw Jesus who had been slain alive again. Resurrection!

This is the power of Psalm 131 maturity. This is the power of being satisfied with God’s presence, content with God’s Word, sufficed by God’s grace, confident in God’s promise. Like our King and Christ, we can commit our spirit into God’s hands. We can take our refuge in God. We can hang on and find redemption even after the last possible moment.

Praise the Lord!

Today’s reading is Psalm 132.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

What do you want to share with others from Psalm 131?

Psalm 131: Confident In God’s Promise

Today’s reading is Psalm 131.

Hope in the Lord

O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time forth and forevermore.
Psalm 131:3 (ESV)

The psalmist had found his quiet place in the presence of God, satisfied being with God just for the sake of being with God. He was content with God’s Word, occupying his mind with what God had revealed. He was sufficed by God’s grace, accepting whatever situations God had him face. His final statement demonstrates he was confident in God’s promise.

As one Ascent Song led to another, the pilgrim ended the previous psalm with the same call to all his brothers and sisters: “O Israel, hope in the LORD!” In the previous psalm, which had begun in despair and angst, the psalmist encouraged hope in the Lord because of the Lord’s covenant loyal love. He trusted the Lord would redeem Israel. The present psalm follows the previous like a cozy cup of hot tea. His hope in the Lord had started the calm and now the peace and stillness is poured out warming his entire being from the inside.

The phrase “this time forth and forevermore” is used two other times in the Ascent Songs. In Psalm 121:8, the psalmist wrote:

The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore (ESV).

Then in Psalm 125:2:

As the mountains surround Jerusalem
so the LORD surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore (ESV).

Israel and the pilgrim could hope in the Lord because the Lord had promised to be with them and to keep them forevermore. What the Lord has promised is good enough for the pilgrim psalmist. He doesn’t beg for more. He doesn’t abandon the Lord because the promise hasn’t come to complete fruition yet. He is satisfied that the Lord has promised and, whatever is going on right now, the Lord will keep His promise.

Sadly, too often people enter discipleship and expect what God hasn’t promised. When God doesn’t give what He hasn’t promised, they abandon the Lord. Our pilgrim has none of this. The Lord is his hope. He will hang on because he knows what God has promised is all he needs and all he wants. He won’t abandon the promises of God in an attempt to manipulate out of God something God doesn’t want to give.

This confidence is not resignation. The psalmist is not settling for God’s promise. The psalmist is not saying, “Well, I wish God were giving me so many other good things, but I guess I’ll learn to live with what He’s promised.” Rather, the pilgrim knows the same point David made in Psalm 23. When the Lord is my shepherd, I won’t lack anything I need, anything good for me. He knows the same point Jesus will make centuries after this pilgrim: our Father knows what we need before we ask it; and being a good Father, He longs to give us good gifts.

Our souls can be quieted and calmed because we are confident in God’s promise.

Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow’s reading is Psalm 131.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does Psalm 131 prompt or improve your hope in God?