FATHER, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMEND MY SPIRIT

"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit:"…Luke 23:46.

To commend could mean to entrust or commit something of great value to the care of someone else in the hope of getting it back.

Before something is being commended to you, you certainly would possess the capacity to handle the situation. Throughout JESUS's journey/stay here on earth, He continually made it clear and obvious of His dependence on the FATHER in heaven, honouring Him and giving Him the utmost recognition in all situations. This was simply due to the knowledge that He had that all power belonged to HIM and it would be the best form of wisdom to trust/rely on Him for sustenance whilst in this physical form.

This confidence in the ability of the FATHER made Him reply Pilate in John 19:10-11, when Pilate boasted of having power to either crucify or release Him after the Jews had for no genuine reason based on the conclusion of Pilate to crucify JESUS. JESUS then answered Him that His existence and journey dwelt solely on GOD the FATHER and no one could do to Him anything save that which the FATHER permits.

At this stage on the cross of Calvary, the Lord JESUS understood that this was just a mere transition and not really an end to His journey. He was very certain that this crucifixion wasn't supposed to spell His end but rather a beginning of something beautiful, in this case, the translation to the right hand of the FATHER, standing in the gap for me and you.

Acts 7:59 reads "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Similar to the declaration of JESUS at this point on the cross is also Stephen's declaration when being stoned and close to death.
Scriptures record about Stephen as being a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost (Acts. 6:5), an elected deacon, one charged with the responsibility of fulfilling the daily service of sharing need items ensuring no one was neglected amongst members of the early church. One whom was charged with blasphemy and stoned promptly because of His claim of seeing the glory of  GOD and JESUS CHRIST standing at His right hand (Acts. 7:55-56).

At his dying, the normal human thing to do would have been to rain curses on those who participated in the stoning process at least but he humbly requested of GOD not to lay ds offence to their charge (Acts. 7:60) and due to His understanding of His life being the property of GOD and not something that anyone could just lay hold upon without the consent of GOD, he equally declared, "Lord JESUS receive my Spirit" and HE FELL ASLEEP.

So also Paul, another man who was sold out to the cause of the declaration of the gospel, he understood that the life that he now lived wasn't his but he lived it in trust for the Lord that at a time, he wud lay back the life (Gal. 2:20). So no matter how much persecution or temptations he faced, it was crystal clear to him that it wasn't in the hands of any man to take his life for he would eventually give it up ONLY to the One who gave it to him.

This also needs to be our viewpoint as christians, we should know and live in the knowledge of the fact that the life that we now live isn't ours and so cannot be taken away from us but as it was with JESUS who "GAVE UP THE GHOST" and Stephen who "FELL ASLEEP", we don't loose out on this GOD-life to the world but we live it in trust for the One who died in order that we can live this glorious life and also as Paul did, we need to keep seeking to apprehend the purpose for which the Lord JESUS has apprehended us (Phil. 3:12-13), the purpose why He has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light (1Peter 2:9) and as we identify this need, we make sure to fulfil it...HALLELUYAH

GOD BLESS YOU