*written by Jessica Risinger
Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. Luke 23:46
It’s hard to fathom this moment. The very last human moment for Jesus. Watching movies portraying this moment might help us understand a little more, but it’s still hard to fully grasp all of the pain, both physical and emotional. When we are in pain, we tend to focus only on the pain. It can be so overwhelming, that it’s hard to see anything else. Pain shouts loudly at us. But I love how the bible says– in a LOUD voice Jesus gave his last words. He speaks over the pain. He can see clearly, despite his pain. He is taking on this very moment of torment to relieve us of the pain we will cause ourselves. These same words from Luke are written in Psalm 31. Verses 4-5 says “Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in you alone. I entrust my spirit into your hand. Rescue me, Lord, for you are a faithful God.”
What does it mean for us to entrust our spirit into the Father’s hands? We may not be facing death like Jesus was, but we do need rescuing. We need someone to step in and take our burdens and turn them into something beautiful. We need to trust that if we hand it over, the Father will take care of it. Maybe we can start to focus less on the pain, and more on the one we are handing it over to. The one who Jesus handed it all over to without being disappointed with the outcome. It’s the same God, and he still has hands wide open to take anything we want to entrust to him, even if we have to remind ourselves everyday to let go of it.