"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."
Gospel of Luke 23:46
Beginning Prayer:
Father God, as this Word goes forth, please send it straight to our hearts, so we will never forget what You did by sending Your Son Jesus to die for our sin. Bless these Words to fall on good grounds, so that all would bring forth good fruit in their season. Thank You for the opportunity to share Your Word about our Savior Jesus Christ. Thank You that I know that He live, In Jesus' Name, we pray, Amen!
Subject: Jesus' Last Words
Scripture: "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)
Word of Interest: Praise
Praise, mostly of God, is a frequent theme in the psalms, the Hebrew title of which is "Praises." Yet praise is a theme that pervades the whole of Scripture. Genesis 1 is indirect praise; direct praise is found in hymns scattered throughout the books of Exodus, 2 Samuel, Isaiah, Daniel, Ephesians, and Revelation. Words that are often used as synonyms or in parallel with "praise, " and some help point to its meaning, are "bless, " "exalt, " "extol, " "glorify, " "magnify, " "thank, " and "confess." To praise God is to call attention to his glory.
A vocation of praise. Praising God is a God-appointed calling. Indeed, God has formed for himself a people "that they may proclaim my [God's] praise" ( Isa 43:21 ; cf. Jer 13:11 ). God's actions, such as Israel's restoration from the exile, are to result in God's "righteousness and praise spring [ing] up before all nations" ( Isa 61:11 ). God has also predestined the church "to the praise of his [God's] glorious grace" ( Eph 1:6 ; cf. Matt 5:16 ; Eph 1:14 ; Php 1:11 ; 1 Peter 2:9 ). The future vocation of the redeemed in glory is to sing praise to God and the Lamb ( Rev 4:11 ; 5:12-14 ; 7:12 ). Doxologies are fitting because they capture what God intends for people ( Psalm 33:1 ; 147:1 ).
In the light of this calling to praise God, the oft-declared intention, "I will praise you, O God, " and the exhortations for others to praise God take on additional meaning. In giving oneself to praise the worshiper declares his or her total alignment with God's purposes. The environment of those gathering for worship, judged by such admonitions, was one of lavish praise to God. Since God is holy and fully good, God is not to be faulted, as some do, for requiring praise of himself. Praise is fitting for what is the highest good, God himself. Praise is both a duty and a delight ( Psalm 63:3-8 ).
Reasons for Praising God. In addition to being the fulfillment of a calling, praise is prompted by other considerations, chief of which is the unique nature of God ( 1 Chron 29:10-13 ). One genre of the psalms, the hymns, is characterized by an initial summons, such as "Praise the Lord, " which is followed by a declaration of praise, introduced by the word "for, " which lists the grounds for offering praise, often God's majesty and mercy. The shortest psalm ( 117 ), a hymn, offers a double reason for praise: God's merciful kindness (loyal love) is great, and his truth endures forever. Other hymns point out that God is good ( Ezra 3:10-11 ; Psalm 100:5 ; 135:3 ), or that his ordinances are just ( Psalm 119:164 ), that he remembers his covenant ( Psalm 105:7-8 ), that his love is enduring (Ps. 136), or that he is incomparable ( Psalm 71:19 ). A basic understanding in the hymns, if not in all the psalms, is captured in the theme "The Lord reigns." God's kingship is pronounced both in his majestic power displayed through the creation of the world ( Psalm 29 , 104 ) and in his royal rule, often as deliverer, over his people ( Psalm 47 , 68 , 98 , 114 ). As king, God is judge, warrior, and shepherd. Often too, praise is to the name of God ( Psalm 138:2 ; 145:2 ; Isa 25:1 ). That name, Yahweh, conveys the notion that God is present to act in salvation ( Exod 6:1-8 ).
The biblical examples of praise to God, apart from citing his attributes and role, point to God's favors, usually those on a large scale in behalf of Israel. A hymn in the Isaiah collection exhorts, "Sing praise to the Lord for his glorious achievement" ( Isa 12:5 ; nab ). Exhortations to praise are sometimes followed by a catalogue of God's actions in Israel's behalf ( Neh 9:5 ; Psalm 68:4-14 ). God's most spectacular action involves the incarnation of Jesus, an event heralded in praises by angels in the heavens and shepherds returning to their fields: "Glory to God in the highest" ( Luke 2:14 Luke 2:20 ). Praise is the legitimate response to God's self-revelation. Personal experiences of God's deliverance and favor also elicit praise ( Psalm 34 ; 102:18 ; 107 ; cf. Dan 2:20-23 ; Rom 7:25 ; the healed paralytic, Luke 5:25 ; Zechariah, Luke 1:68 ; the response at Nain, Luke 7:16 ; and Jesus himself, Matt 11:25 ).
An intimate relationship of a person or a people with God is sufficient reason for praise. A psalmist, captivated by the reality of God's choice of Jacob, exhorts, "Sing praise" ( Psalm 135 ; cf. Rev 19:5 ).
Expressions of Praise. The believing community is both a fitting and frequently mentioned context for praise. The author of Hebrews quotes the psalter: "In the midst of the assembly I will praise you" ( Heb 2:12 ). The audience is enlarged beyond the worshiping community when the worshiper announces, "I will praise you [in the sense of confessing], O Lord, among the nations" ( Psalm 57:9 ), and more enlarged still, "In the presence of angels ["gods" NIV] I will sing my praise" ( Psalm 138:1 ; nab ). While privately spoken praise to God is fitting and right, it is virtually intrinsic to the notion of praise that it be publicly expressed. Indeed, David appointed Levites to ensure the public praise of Israel ( 1 Chron 16:4 ; 1 Chronicles 23:4 1 Chronicles 23:30 ).
The Scriptures offer a language of praise and so are instructive on how expressions of praise might be formulated. Nehemiah leads in praise by saying, "Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord" ( Neh 9:5-6a ). The chorister Asaph followed David's cue: "Sing praise to him; tell of his wonderful Acts" ( 1 Chron 16:9 ). Persons intent on cultivating spirituality are often helped, at least initially, by repeating and personalizing such lyrics of praise.
Praise to God in Israel took the form of artfully composed lyrics. A significant number of psalms are identified in their headings as "A Psalm, " a technical term meaning "a song of praise." Israel's expressions of praise to God could include shouts ( Psalm 98:4 ), the plying of musical instruments ( 1 Chron 25:3 ; 2 Chron 7:6 ; Psalm 144:9 ; 150:1-5 ), making melody ( Psalm 146:2 ), and dancing ( Psalm 149:3 ). A public expression at Jesus' entry into Jerusalem took the form of devotees waving palm branches ( Matt 21:1-11 ). Praise for Israel consisted, in part, of the spoken word, "Open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise" ( Psalm 51:15 ) behind which, however, was a total person committed to praise: "I will praise you, O Lord, with my whole heart" ( Psalm 9:1 ). Such praise is not tainted with bitterness or in other ways qualified but is from someone who is thoroughly thankful.
The Bible speaks also of persons praising or commending others ( Gen 12:15 ; 49:8 ; Proverbs 31:28 Proverbs 31:30 ; 2 Cor 8:18 ). However, it counsels, even warns, about the giving and receiving of praise lest it be for the wrong reasons or be misconstrued ( Psalm 49:18 ; Prov 12:8 ; Proverbs 27:2 Proverbs 27:21 ; John 5:44 ).
Unquestionably the Book of the Psalms is centerpiece for any discussion about praise. In it the believer's vocation to praise is wonderfully modeled, so that even laments (one-third of all the psalms) contain elements of praise. As a book of praises, the psalms build to a remarkable crescendo of praise (Pss. 145-150), in which all creatures are summoned to incessant praise of God, as are the stars and planets in the heavens, and even the angels.
Words of Encouragement:
Here Jesus closes with the words of Psalm 31:5, speaking to the Father. We see his complete trust in the Father. Jesus entered death in the same way he lived each day of his life, offering up his life as the perfect sacrifice and placing himself in God's hands.
Like a trusting child, he turns to the Father and takes the next step. He has bound himself by love, to both God and the human race. Soon he will begin his long-term ministry by demonstrating the fact that human beings survive physical death. Then he will continue to draw to himself, and thus to heaven, everyone he can ... for as long as it takes ... until whosoever will has come.
The seventh word of Jesus is from the Gospel of Luke, and is directed to the Father in heaven, just before He dies. Jesus recalls Psalm 31:5 - "Into thy hands I commend my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God." Luke repeatedly pleads Jesus' innocence: with Pilate (Luke 23:4, 14-15, 22), through Dismas (by legend), the criminal (Luke 23:41), and immediately after His death with the centurion" "Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, "Certainly this man was innocent" (Luke 23:47).
Jesus was obedient to His Father to the end, and his final word before his death on the Cross was a prayer to His Father.
Jesus fulfilled His mission: "They are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith" (Romans 3:24-25). The relationship of Jesus to the Father is revealed in the Gospel of John, for He remarked, "The Father and I are one" (10:30), and again, at the Last Supper: "Do you not believe I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works" (14:10). And He can return: "I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father" (16:28). Jesus practiced what He preached: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
Questions for Reflection:
1. Have you put your life and, indeed, your life beyond this life, in God's hands?
2. How do you experience God's salvation through Christ in your life today?
Song:
With each passing day I am certain
That I need my life in Your hands
This world that I cling to is never enough
To bring me the joy that You can
Words always fail in my trouble
And my hands seem to lead me a stray
But Your sweet forgiveness is waiting for me
It's the' reason for hope
It's the reason I'm free
Take me oh Lord in Thy hands
Make me a part of Your plans
Take me oh Lord in Thy hands
So that I may find my rest
In Your strength, in Your mercy
In Your love
Please set my eyes on Your glory
And help keep my hope on the cross
Never let me stray too far from Your reach
Never let Your word be lost
We call you the King of all kings
Mighty Lord and Prince of Peace
But more than all other names I call you Jesus
The name that I cried and You came to save me
Take me oh Lord in thy hands
Make me apart of your plans
Take me oh Lord in thy hands
So that I may find my rest
In your strength, In your mercy
In your love
With all of my voice I cry Jesus
Please forgive this heart I held from You
I'm weary from wasting my life on myself
Take it and make it brand new
Take me oh Lord in thy hands
Make me apart of your plans
Take me oh Lord in thy hands
So I may find my rest
In your strength, In your mercy
In your love
Ending Prayer:
Gracious Lord, even as you once entrusted your spirit into the hands of the Father, so I give my life to you. I trust you, and you alone to be my Savior. I submit to your sovereignty over my life, and seek to live for your glory alone. Here I am, Lord, available to you, both now and in the future. How good it is to know, dear Lord, that the cross was not the end for you. As you entrusted your spirit into the Father's hands, you did so in anticipation of what was to come. So we reflect upon your death, not in despair, but in hope. With Good Friday behind us, Easter Sunday is on the horizon. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! Dear Lord Jesus, though my memory isn't what it used to be, I join King David today in giving you praise today for who you are, and all the good gifts you lavish on us in the gospel. I praise you that irrespective of changes in my brain chemistry, you'll never forget me. This is my great hope and centering peace. But while they are fresh on my heart, here are a few things for which I am especially grateful as this day begins. I praise you for forgiving all my sins—past, present, and future—sins of thought, word, and deed. How staggering a thought! I used to think you forgive only confessed sins, but now I realize I'm probably aware of only 4 percent of my sins. But your blood covers the other 96 percent as well. Praise the Lord, O my soul, for a perfect and complete forgiveness! I praise you for securing, and healing all my diseases—diseases in my body, heart, and mind. Though I wish you would completely heal me before you return, nonetheless, I have this sure hope: The healing I'm already receiving in the gospel will be brought to completion. Praise the Lord, O my soul, for present, ongoing, and a secured complete healing! I praise you for redeeming my life from all pits—the pit of eternal separation from God, the pits others throw me into, the pits I naively fall into, and the pits I foolishly dig for myself! You've bought and brought me out of all pits into your embrace by taking the ultimate "pit" of God's judgment for us on the cross. Praise the Lord, O my soul, for an all-pit redemption! I praise you for crowning me with your love and compassion. You've taken away all my guilt and you've borne all my shame. My conscience is no longer under the law and condemnation, but under grace and your rejoicing . Praise the Lord, O my soul, for a coronation of mercy and grace! I praise you for satisfying my desires with good things. Lord, I praise you for the smile of my grandson, the kiss of my wife, the taste of dark chocolate, the rainbow you painted on the side of a trout, the recent encouragement from a friend, and the sounds of great music, to name a few. Praise the Lord, O my soul, for a God who takes my desires seriously and satisfies them in countless ways! Lord Jesus, may the unsearchable, innumerable, and inexhaustible riches of the gospel renew me today with youth-like energy, that I may soar like an eagle and live to the praise of your glorious grace! I pray in your holy and loving name, Amen.
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