Psalm 31:5

"Into Your hand I commit my spirit;"

As a young child I remember hesitating with great caution before jumping off a ledge and into the hands of one of my parents or older brother. "What if they don't catch me? What if I fall and hurt myself?" These thoughts raced through my mind before I'd spring forward. Once committed there was no turning back. The moment my feet left solid ground and I was held to nothing at all I was putting my complete trust into the hands of someone else, someone I had faith in. Within a split second I safely arrived into their arms, not once fumbled or hurt.

That was my physical body, mortal and temporal. My spirit is everlasting and eternal, of infinite value. To whom shall I entrust that? Yet I, like most, probably give lesser consideration to entrusting my spirit to someone than my human frame. David (and Jesus, the "Greater David" as He quoted this verse while hanging on the Tree) committed his spirit into the hand of the Lord. I cannot personally hedge the safety of my spirit. I foolishly think it's in good hands with passivity and allowing life to simply run its course. But commitment is an active verb; it requires something of me. That something is trust. I have put the totality of my faith and trust into the blood of the Lamb for the security of my soul (and I believe this is what David's referencing in this Psalm), but today I need to put my trust into the hand of the Lord in the sense that my spirit must be submissive to His Spirit. As a believer, I now have not one, but two s(S)pirits. (cf. I Corinthians 3:16) So I must be controlled by the Spirit (cf. Ephesians 5:18) and trust that He will guide me into all truth. This only happens as I know His Word. And what greater safety could I have, what stronger hands and arms could I find, than His?

I pray that I might memorize and recall as much Scripture today as possible in order to commit my spirit to His Spirit. I want the hand of His Word to have a firm grip on my spirit. Any other grasp is empty air and perilous.