Psalm 31:5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

When Jesus arguably quoted the first half of this verse as His last words before His resurrection, (Luke 23:46) it is very significant. However, there is a difference between the NIV and the Japanese in the second half that really strikes me just now. The NIV frames it as a request, “redeem me,” while the Japanese expresses it as a statement, “You have redeemed me.” The NIV translators were perhaps influenced by the image of Jesus on the cross, thinking He was not yet delivered from that suffering, but the thing of it is, we who are already redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ can and do experience all sorts of suffering. Suffering in no way cancels out or negates redemption! It is a statement of faith to quote this verse as the Japanese has it in the middle of suffering, and that faith is a great shield with which we can quench every flaming arrow of the enemy. (Ephesians 6:16) The devil and the world are quick to jump on anything negative and tell us it’s evidence we aren’t loved and saved by God, but that’s simply not true. God, however, is indeed the God of truth, and He has redeemed all who call on Him in truth, through Jesus Christ His Son.

This is something I have experienced, and I seek to communicate it to others, because it is indeed Good News. Last night was an exercise in that, as Cathy and I went to comfort and encourage a lady who is in the middle of an essentially unbearable situation. Almost every member of her family has major problems, and her health is being torn down by the stress of it all. She has not yet committed her spirit to the Lord, as this verse says, and so she has not yet experienced the Lord’s redemption. We sought to be listening ears for her, and at the same time remind her, since she’s heard it before, that redemption is indeed available to her, and to every member of her family. If I were to try to carry her burdens emotionally, I would be as devastated as she is, if not more so. As Paul did with the Ephesian elders, (Acts 20:32) I need to “commit [her and her family] to God and to the word of His grace.” This is not being callous or uncaring, it is recognizing that I can’t possibly fix her problems, but God can. I need to do everything for her that God indicates I should, but most of all I need to share with her the word of God’s grace.

Father, I do pray for that family, as I have been doing for several years now. Thank You that Your plans are perfect, and I can trust You. Help me indeed commit my own spirit to You and not try to take it back into my own hands, and help me do the same with every issue I encounter. I am so prone to again take up burdens I think I’ve laid at Your feet! Help me trust You right through to the end in everything, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!