Join our Free Email List
PSALM 31 COMMITMENT
Written by , Rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, Richmond, Virginia
1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
4 Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
14 … I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.
16 Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and lie silent in the grave.
18 Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.
19 How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues.
23 Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full.
24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.
Trusting in a person, object, institution or even yourself is one thing, but committing your spirit to someone is quite another. Of course we all think of Jesus’ final words on the cross when we read verse 5, “Into your hands I commit my spirit,” and we assume that it has to do with his voluntary death as an atoning sacrifice. Most of us equate this phrase with colloquialism “giving up the ghost.” If that is the case, then we are missing the point. Both Jesus and the psalmist are talking about absolute obedience to God the Father. We must remember the second half of that verse, spoken by the psalmist and implied by Jesus, is “redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.”
What does it mean for one commit his spirit to the Lord? First, it is something we do in this life, for this life, and not just as we take our leave of it. Second, it is an acknowledgement of our dependence on God to lead us through this life according to his will. Third, it is a declaration that God is the source of our security and significance, no matter what we are subjected to in this life. And fourth, it is the vow that we will live in obedience to God’s will rather than our own.
To make a commitment is to obligate yourself to an arrangement or relationship. There is also the meaning of being given over to the custody of another. In this psalm, both of these meanings are combined. We give our spirit into God’s custody and we obligate ourselves to living according to God’s will. It is an act of absolute trust in which we renounce our willfulness and follow God in total obedience. It is the act through which we receive God’s redemption, even in this life.
I want to be one of your people, O God. Grow my faith so that I can yield my spirit to you and in all things follow where you would lead me. May my spirit be so hidden in your Spirit that my life will be characterized by the fruits of the Spirit. You are the God of truth. Help me live according to the truth. Amen.