The Way DAY 49 - Trusting God

DAY 49 - Trusting God

Luke 23:44-49
 
What does it look like to take up your cross and follow Jesus?

in Luke 23:46, we hear Jesus’ last words as he dies: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Following Jesus to the cross means trust - trusting God with your life and death.

Think about Jesus there at his lowest point. Jesus has hit rock bottom. He’s completely powerless. He can’t control anything except his ability to accept his lack of control. He experienced our limits as human beings during his life among us, his incarnation. The only limit he didn’t experience was sin (though he did experience temptation). At every point of his life, he trusted God the Father to work out the details.

He showed that same trust in his death on the cross. Death is the great enemy. We can’t stop it. But Jesus did by surrendering to death on the cross. His victory over death was complete when God the Father raised him to life again on Easter morning.
 
His total trust in God empowers us to trust God, too. Following Jesus to the cross also means trusting your life and death to God. It means accepting your limits and your inability to control everything. It means following the Way of Jesus and trusting the outcomes to God. Each day we’re faced with so many temptations to control what’s not ours to control. How many times do we try to correct people, to fix people?

The biggest challenge may be trusting God in the face of death. After a life of trusting God with each new day, you can pray on your last day, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” You can do that because Jesus carried you so you can follow him.

REFLECT
How can trusting God with your life and death, like Jesus did, bring comfort and peace in difficult situations, especially when facing the unknown?

PRAY
Father, I trust you. Jesus, thank you for your example of faithfulness. Spirit, fill me with the same trust Jesus has in the Father. Amen.