Heart Meditations on Arthur Pinks, Seven Sayings of the Savior on the Cross. The Word of Contentment. Luke 23, verse 46. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

This final utterance from the cross is not one of defeat, but of divine serenity. Having borne the wrath of God and completed the work of our redemption, The Lord Jesus now breathes out a word of rest and trust.

Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. This is not resignation. It is resolution. Not despair, but deep satisfaction in the will of God. Notice the address, Father. Though moments earlier he had cried, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Now the darkness lifts and communion is restored. The cry of abandonment has given way to the voice of fellowship. Christ dies not in fear, but in faith, not under wrath, but in the embrace of love.

The Lord Jesus did not cling to his life. In love for his people he sacrificed it, voluntarily, confidently, peacefully. He had said earlier, no one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. And now he lays it down in perfect contentment. He entrusts his spirit to the Father, not into the void, not into oblivion, but into sovereign loving hands.

Here is the death of the believer's substitute and the model for every believer's own death. Christ has taken the sting out of death. The grave has lost its victory. For the Christian, death is no longer a leap into darkness, but a home going to the Father. The moment the Spirit leaves the body, it enters the presence of God.

Believer, are you anxious? Do you fear what lies ahead? Learn from your Savior. Live in such communion with God that you may die as He did, trusting, resting, content. Say daily with faith, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit, not only at death, but in every trial, every unknown, every step of obedience.

The cross began with, Father, forgive them. It ends with, Father, into your hands, The first word opened the door of grace. The last one sealed it with peace. Let your heart be satisfied in Him. Jesus, your sin-atoning Savior, has borne the full wrath of God due to you. Now rest in the Father's hands.