Ezekiel 17:22-24 (NRSV)
Read Ezekiel 17:22-24 on biblegateway.com
Verse 22Thus says the Lord God: I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of a cedar; I will set it out. I will break off a tender one from the topmost of its young twigs; I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. Verse 23On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it, in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar. Under it every kind of bird will live; in the shade of its branches will nest winged creatures of every kind. Verse 24All the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord. I bring low the high tree, I make high the low tree; I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I the Lord have spoken; I will accomplish it.
Devotion
“Look at those trees, boys! We don’t have any trees back home.” Years ago, my wife and I heard those unexpected words from the father of another American family riding in the same train car in England. In conversation we learned he was stationed at a US base in Greenland, where, in fact, trees could not tolerate the conditions. Trees were indeed a remarkable novelty for his boys.
In our reading, Ezekiel tells the exiles in Babylon to “look at those trees!” words that are a reminder that God’s future holds promise, words that temper the boasts of the mighty and give hope to the downtrodden.
For us, at our time in history, Ezekiel’s words likewise bring the hope that we find every year as winter melts away into spring. Each new sprout, every branch that unfurls new leaves is a promise to remind us of how God’s creation enriches us. To remember that, we need to “look at those trees!”
Prayer
Faithful God, keep the eyes of our heart focused on the beauty of your creation and help us have confidence in how you can make us flourish. Amen.
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