Into Your Hands — TDW Kids

Father, Into Your Hands

☐

The last words. Luke tells us the last words Jesus spoke before He died. Jesus “cried out with a loud voice” and prayed, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Then “He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46).

A prayer from a psalm. Jesus was praying words from Psalm 31, a psalm of David. David wrote, “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth” (Psalm 31:5).

David in trouble. David prayed this psalm when enemies were against him. “While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life” (Psalm 31:13). He even felt forgotten, “like a broken vessel” (31:12).

My rock. So David ran to God. “For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me” (Psalm 31:3). A fortress is a strong place where people are safe from their enemies.

To commit. To commit something means to hand it over to someone you trust, so that they will keep it safe. David handed his whole life over to God.

Father. Jesus began His prayer with the word “Father.” His first prayer from the cross began the same way: “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). Even in the darkness, Jesus knew His Father loved Him.

All the way. David trusted God to rescue him from his enemies. Jesus trusted His Father through death itself.

He gave His life. Jesus had said about His life, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself” (John 10:18). On the cross He did exactly that.

Finished first. John tells us that Jesus said, “It is finished!” Then, “bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). He gave His life when His work was done.

Redeemed. The psalm says, “You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” To redeem means to buy back or to rescue. God is the God of truth, and He always keeps His promises.

The Father answered. Jesus had promised, “And the third day He will rise again” (Luke 18:33). He did! God “raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory” (1 Peter 1:21). The hands Jesus trusted did not let Him go.

What this means for you. Jesus put His life into His Father's hands so that you could be forgiven. When you trust Jesus, your life is in those same safe hands, today and forever.

Luke's last word from the cross. Jesus “cried out with a loud voice” and said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Then “He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46). Mark and Matthew also record the loud cry (Mark 15:37; Matthew 27:50).

Psalm 31:5. “Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.” The psalm is a prayer of David, and it opens, “In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness” (31:1).

To commit. Luke's word for commit is paratithemi (say: pah-rah-TITH-eh-mee), to set something before someone or to hand it over into their keeping, like a treasure left with a trusted friend. Jesus placed Himself into the Father's care.

My spirit. In Psalm 31:5 the Hebrew word for spirit is ruach (say: ROO-akh), a word for breath, wind or spirit. To commit your spirit is to entrust your very life, the breath God gave you, back to Him.

Father. David prayed, “Into Your hand.” Jesus began, “Father.” In Luke, His first prayer from the cross (23:34) and His last (23:46) both begin with that word. The darkness, the mocking and the weight of our sin did not break His trust in His Father's love.

Psalm 31 and the cross. Many Christians see other lines of this psalm as a picture of Jesus' suffering: “I am a reproach among all my enemies” (31:11), “Those who see me outside flee from me” (31:11) and “They scheme to take away my life” (31:13).

He gave up His spirit. Each Gospel shows Jesus giving His life. Matthew says He “yielded up His spirit” (Matthew 27:50). John says, “bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). Death did not take Jesus by surprise or by force. He handed His life to the Father when His work was finished.

The God of truth. David called God “Lord God of truth” because God keeps His word. Jesus had told His disciples, “And the third day He will rise again” (Luke 18:33), and He trusted His Father to do it.

Redeemed. “You have redeemed me.” For David it meant rescue from his enemies. For Jesus the answer came on the third day. God “raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:21).

For us. Jesus committed His spirit to the Father after He had carried our sins. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Because He did, everyone who trusts Him can come to the Father as His child.

For you. The last words of Jesus in Luke are words of trust. If you belong to Him, you can pray them too, in life and in death, because the Father's hands are safe.

I Trust in You, O Lord

☐

A prayer for God's people. Psalm 31 was not only Jesus' prayer. It is a prayer that every person who trusts God can pray, on hard days and on good ones, when you are young and when you are old.

But as for me. David had troubles all around him. Still he said, “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God’ ” (Psalm 31:14).

In His hand. Then he said, “My times are in Your hand” (Psalm 31:15). Every day of his life was in God's care.

When you feel forgotten. Once David said, “I am cut off from before Your eyes” (Psalm 31:22). He felt as if God could not see him.

God heard. But he finished that verse, “Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You.” Supplications are prayers asking God for help.

Goodness stored up. “Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You” (Psalm 31:19). God keeps good things ready for His people, like treasure saved up for them.

A safe hiding place. “You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man” (Psalm 31:20). Being close to God is the safest place there is.

Stephen's prayer. Years after the cross, a follower of Jesus named Stephen was being stoned because he spoke about Jesus. He prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). He trusted Jesus the way Jesus had trusted the Father.

At bedtime. Trusting God is for every day, not only for the end of life. Another psalm says, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). You can hand God your night too.

Every worry. When you are worried about school, your family or the future, you can tell God, “I trust in You, O Lord.” Then leave your worries with Him, and trust Him to take care of what you cannot fix.

Why we can trust Him. Jesus died for our sins and rose again. “Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father” (Romans 6:4). The Father who raised Jesus will keep everyone who belongs to Him.

What this means for you. “Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:24). Trust Jesus as your Savior, and put your life in God's hands each day.

The turn. Psalm 31:9-13 is full of trouble: grief, enemies, slander and “Fear is on every side” (31:13). Then the psalm turns: “But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God’ ” (31:14).

My times. “My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies” (31:15). The hand David trusted with his spirit also held every season of his life.

Shining face. “Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies’ sake” (31:16). David asked for mercy, not for a reward. God saves because He is merciful, not because we are good enough.

Honest prayer. “For I said in my haste, ‘I am cut off from before Your eyes’; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You” (31:22). Feeling forgotten is not the final word. God heard.

Laid up goodness. “Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You” (31:19). God has goodness stored up for His people before they need it.

The secret place. “You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues” (31:20). A pavilion is a tent or shelter. When others speak against us, God's presence is our shelter.

Stephen. Acts records Stephen's prayer as he was being stoned: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). Jesus had committed His spirit to the Father, and Stephen committed his spirit to Jesus. He trusted Jesus as Lord.

Peace at night. “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). Handing yourself over to God is a daily habit, morning and night.

Why trust is safe. Trust is only as good as the One you trust. “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The Father kept the One who committed His spirit to Him.

Love and courage. “Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful” (31:23). “Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord” (31:24).

For you. Make Psalm 31 your own prayer. Hand God your fears, your days and your future, and trust Him with your life because you trust His Son.

📖

Complete all sections to finish!

Read each section and answer the questions correctly.