Committed

“[F]or I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day.”  (2 Timothy 1:12)

            It’s safe to say, the thing which Paul claimed to have committed to God until the day when he would stand before Him, was his soul. Having said that, I think we miss a great benefit if we limit that principle to the next life. It is at least as viable and, it would seem to me, just as necessary in this one. Just as faith is not all squandered in salvation, commitment does not end at the Cross.

         Once we have committed our souls to Him for all eternity, does it not make sense to commit everything else outside our capabilities to Him also? After all, it says of our Lord that He “committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1Pet.2:23). And it was not His soul He was committing to the Father, but His will. We say so easily, “I’m just going to commit it to the Lord.” But those areas of our lives outside the circle of our control, may still be within the sphere of our worry; and in the dark of night, they are apt to rear their ugly heads, if they are not truly committed to God.

         The key to victory in this particular battle is acknowledging our inherent doubt of the first part of the phrase: “[I] am persuaded that he is able…” It is imperative that we face ourselves and understand that we hesitate to commit something to someone else if we are not sure he or she is capable of taking care of it. We find it hard to delegate authority as long as we think no one else can do things as well as we. If Jesus considered God to be trustworthy enough to commit His earthly life to Him, pray tell me, why should you or I hesitate to commit to Him all the needless worries we hug to our breasts so desperately? 

          In actual fact, He is able to keep that which I’ve committed to Him—people, possessions, health, past, present, future—the whole ball of wax. And the same is true for you, as well. It’s not a question of His capability, but our “commit-ability.”

         And of that I am persuaded.