“And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord. I bring low the high tree and I make high the low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord, I have spoken and I will do it.”
– Ezekiel 17:24
This is the last verse in a chapter that uses all kind of different images and parables really that we don’t have time to get into here in this short podcast. But the reason I read this verse and want to lead us to pray according to this verse, is the sheer sovereignty of God on display in the words of Ezekiel 17:24. Listen to it again. All the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord. God says, “I bring low the high tree and I make the low tree high. I dry up the green tree. I make the dry tree flourish.”
God is in control of all things. From the trees of the forest to the depths of our heart, God has authority over it all.
Ezekiel 17:24 Declares God’s Sovereignty
In other words, whether or not a tree is high or is low, is dependent on who? It’s dependent on God. He is the one who is sovereign over the height of trees and then whether or not they’re green or dried up, whether or not they’re flourishing or empty. God is sovereign over that. The whole picture that we have in this verse and of course all over Scripture, is that everything exists under the sovereignty of God, that God is in control with authority over all things. This is a humbling reminder for every single one of us today. There are so many implications of this, but let’s just let it lead us to prayer.
A Prayer Based on Ezekiel 17:24
Oh God, we pray that you would help us to understand what it means to live under your sovereignty, to understand all things under your sovereignty. God, we praise you for your sovereignty. We praise you that you are ultimately in control of all things, that the world is not spinning out of control. Even when so many circumstances around us, right around us, far from us, seem like they’re out of control, God, we praise you that you are on the throne and you are ultimately in control. Even the things we don’t understand, God, we praise you that you are ultimately sovereign over everything and so we submit to you.
Oh God, our lives depend on you. We can do nothing without you. We pray that you would help us to grow in humility, help us to grow in glad submission to you. If you are Lord of all, then you are indeed Lord of our lives. And so we lay down our lives before you and we pray, help us to follow you, help us to obey you, help us to hear and understand your word and live according to it.
Trusting God’s Plan
God as we look to our future in our lives, a future in our families, a future in our country, a future in the world, we say all of our trust is in you. It’s not in riches. It is not in this or that leader. It’s not in our possessions. It’s not in anything this world offers us. All of our trust is in you. You are our hope. All of our hope is in you. Even when we think about your sovereignty in a verse like Romans 8:28. You are working all things together for the good of those who love you and have been called according to your purpose. That’s only true.
We can only believe that if you are sovereign over all things. And so we praise you, we praise you for your sovereignty over all things, your power and your authority to work all of them together for the good of those who love you and have been called according to your purpose. Ah, the limits of your sovereignty and what that means we cannot exhaust.
Oh God, we cannot fathom the implications of your sovereignty over all things, but based on Ezekiel 17: 24, we pause right now and we praise you as the Lord of all. We humble ourselves before you and we say in submission to you, not our will today but yours be done. Only keep us close to you, trusting in you, pointing to you, seeing everything through the lens of who you are. Make us a God-centered people who live in the light of your sovereignty over all things. In Jesus’ name we pray. In the name of the one who has all authority in heaven and on earth, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
