Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. Psalm 31:5 (NKJV)
This verse stands out to me because the psalmist seems to be giving up the one thing most dear to him—his own spirit. The confession comes from a place of anguish. This person knows that the fears, the emotions, and the hurts rumbling around in his spirit are too much for him to deal with on his own. He needs help from someone wiser and stronger in order to survive the trials he is experiencing.
The psalm’s tone is foreboding. The author is in trouble. He states this in verse 9: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble.” Danger surrounds him and he is trying his best not to panic or cave in to despair.
But he knows of one place of safety, and that is the Lord’s care. He sees God as his rock of refuge (verse 2), a fortress (verse 2), his strength (verse 4), and his deliverer (verses 2 and 15). When the psalmist is overwhelmed with grief and feels his strength failing, he looks to the Lord and trusts in him for the deliverance he needs.
Only when God holds the psalmist’s spirit in his hands does the psalmist feel safe. God keeps him. Recovery and rest can be found there. The psalmist has full confidence in God’s ability to help him and to restore him. God has redeemed him, and God is honest, shielding him from deception while helping him stand with integrity.
The psalmist reveals to us a trustworthy way of caring for all we hold most dear. For him, his spirit is what needed God’s defense, but there are so many things we can lay in God’s hands.
If you feel weary or in danger, then follow the psalmist’s example and lay your spirit in God’s hands. But what about our relationships, our finances, politics, the future, or anything else you hold close to your heart? According to Psalm 31, we can commit any of these into God’s hands. He is our redeemer, and he will care for situations in ways that follow his truth.
This practice has become more important to me over time. Recently, several issues stacked up in my family life that required serious decisions to get made about them. My prayers became “Lord, into your hands I commit my son’s soccer season.”
“Lord, into your hands I commit our remodeling project.”
“Lord, into your hands I commit the direction of our nation.”
“Lord, into your hands I commit this new job opportunity.”
Can you relate to any of those? If you can, than it may mean that you, like me, care about the fate of the people involved or that you desire for all to turn out well.
Most of these situation are still going on, so I haven’t yet reached closure on them, but one thing I’ve discovered as I watch God work is that he provides for us very, very well, and with exquisite timing. His outcomes are so much better than what I could accomplish in my own power and with my limited perspective. It feels good to commit into God’s hands the people and the things I care about.
Psalm 31 has a somber mood until the last two verses. If your trust in God is at a crossroads because you’ve run up against a challenging obstacle, then let these verses help you move to a new level of faith in him.
Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31: 23-24).
God will keep you. He can hold the things that matter most to you. He preserves you and strengthens your heart. Keep hoping in him.
