Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

The final words of Jesus from the cross were a prayer from Psalm 31:5, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Luke 23:46. This was a prayer that parents taught their children to pray at night before going to sleep. It was the equivalent to the prayer you may have learned as a child, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep…” The last words of Jesus were spoken to His Father, in a prayer, placing Himself before the Father and into the Father’s keeping. This is an expression of complete faith and trust. It was an act of worship.

The word “commit” in this prayer is the Greek word para-tithemai, which means to set something before another. It was used to describe food being place before another for a meal (Mark 6:41). It was also used to describe teaching that was presented and entrusted to someone (2 Timothy 2:2). And it was used in the early church, during the days of persecution, of how to endure persecution and suffering (1 Peter 4:19). All of these uses of this word point to a willful act of sacrifice and worship, which pleases God.

With His last breath, Jesus presented Himself before the Father, just as He did every day of His life, just as His parents did every day at mealtime with food that would be presented to Him to eat. No parent would place anything questionable or harmful before a child to eat. For Jewish parents, mealtime was a teaching time, with instructions from God’s word concerning what was clean and unclean to eat. It was a time for reminding the family of the goodness and holiness of God. It was a time of worship, enjoying God’s blessings in His presence. This was the last conscious thought of Jesus as He prayed this prayer.

With His last breath, Jesus presented everything He had taught before the Father, trusting that it would not return to Him void. He had learned from Isaiah 55:10 – 11, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”  Jesus presented before the Father every word that had proceeded out of His mouth as an offering, an act of worship, to accomplish the purposes of the Father and for His glory.

With His last breath, Jesus presented all of His suffering and pain to the Father as an offering, a pleasing aroma to God. The fire of His betrayal, arrest, flogging, crucifixion, and agony was being presented to the Father. Jesus had taught His followers that they too would suffer in the world. The early church learned from 1 Peter 4:19, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” Jesus knew that only God could bring about good from something as evil as the cross, which is why He presented His suffering and pain to the Father.

Today as food is presented before you to eat, present yourself before the Father with the prayer, “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.” Today, as you speak before others, do so with the prayer, “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”  Psalm 19:10. If you are in a season of suffering, or have just come through one, or about to enter one, present yourself before a faithful Creator, with full confidence and “…know that God works all things together for good for those who love Him, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28. And rejoice before His presence as you worship Him, for the Father is seeking those who will worship in spirit and truth.