하나님께 통제권을 내어 드리기(RELINQUISHING CONTROL TO GOD)

💙 하나님께 통제권을 내어 드리기

 ✝  에스겔 17:19-24

“ 나 여호와는 높은 나무를 낮추고 낮은 나무를 높이며 “ [에스겔 17:24]

식탁 위에 올려놓을 만큼 작고 단단한 참나무를 한번 상상해 보십시오. 분재는 바로 그런 모습으로, 자연에서 볼 수 있는 야생의 것을 축소판으로 만든 예쁜 장식용 나무입니다. 분재와 제대로 다 자란 나무는 유전적으로 차이가 없습니다. 단지 좁은 화분 안에서 가지치기와 뿌리 다듬기로 성장이 억제되어 작은 나무로 남아 있는 것입니다.
분재 나무는 멋진 장식용 식물이지만 동시에 통제의 힘을 보여줍니다. 나무가 주위 환경에 적응해 사는 것을 이용해 우리가 나무의 성장을 조작할 수는 있지만, 사실 궁극적으로 이들을 성장시키는 분은 하나님이십니다.

하나님은 에스겔 선지자에게 “나 여호와는 높은 나무를 낮추고 낮은 나무를 높인다”(에스겔 17:24)고 하셨습니다. 이 말씀은 하나님이 바벨론의 침략을 허락하여 이스라엘을 “뿌리째 뽑을” 미래의 일을 예고한 것입니다. 그러나 미래에 하나님은 열매를 맺고 “모든 종류의 새”가 가지의 그늘에서 은신처를 찾을 수 있는 한 새로운 나무를 이스라엘에 심으실 거라고 하셨습니다(23절). 하나님은 앞에 있을 일들이 아무리 절망스러워도 다스리는 이는 여전히 하나님이라고 말씀하셨습니다.

세상은 조작이나 자신의 수고를 통해 우리의 상황을 주도하라고 말합니다. 그러나 진정한 평화와 번영은 나무를 자라게 할 수 있는 유일하신 그분께 온전히 통제권을 내어드릴 때 찾아옵니다.

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어떻게 자신이 주인이 되는 삶을 살고 싶은 유혹을 받습니까? 하나님의 통제를 신뢰하면 어떻게 평화가 찾아올까요?

전능한 왕이신 사랑의 하나님을 찬양합니다. 하나님이 제 인생의 주권자이심을 인정하도록 도와주소서.

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[에스겔 17:19-24]
19. 그러므로 주 여호와의 말씀이니라 내가 나의 삶을 두고 맹세하노니 그가 내 맹세를 업신여기고 내 언약을 배반하였은즉 내가 그 죄를 그 머리에 돌리되
20. 그 위에 내 그물을 치며 내 올무에 걸리게 하여 끌고 바벨론으로 가서 나를 반역한 그 반역을 거기에서 심판할지며
21. 그 모든 군대에서 도망한 자들은 다 칼에 엎드러질 것이요 그 남은 자는 사방으로 흩어지리니 나 여호와가 이것을 말한 줄을 너희가 알리라
22. 주 여호와께서 이같이 말씀하시되 내가 백향목 꼭대기에서 높은 가지를 꺾어다가 심으리라 내가 그 높은 새 가지 끝에서 연한 가지를 꺾어 높고 우뚝 솟은 산에 심되
23. 이스라엘 높은 산에 심으리니 그 가지가 무성하고 열매를 맺어서 아름다운 백향목이 될 것이요 각종 새가 그 아래에 깃들이며 그 가지 그늘에 살리라
24. 들의 모든 나무가 나 여호와는 높은 나무를 낮추고 낮은 나무를 높이며 푸른 나무를 말리고 마른 나무를 무성하게 하는 줄 알리라 나 여호와는 말하고 이루느니라 하라

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💙 RELINQUISHING CONTROL TO GOD

 ✝  EZEKIEL 17:19-24

“ I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. “[ EZEKIEL 17:24 ]

Picture a mighty oak tree that’s small enough to fit on a kitchen table. That’s what a bonsai looks like— a beautiful ornamental tree that’s a miniature version of what you find wild in nature. There’s no genetic difference between a bonsai and its full-size counterpart. It’s simply that a shallow pot, pruning, and root trimming restrict growth, so the plant remains small. While bonsai trees make for wonderful decorative plants, they also illustrate the power of control. It’s true that we can manipulate their growth as the trees respond to their environment, but God is ultimately the One who makes things grow.

God spoke to the prophet Ezekiel this way: “I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall” (EZEKIEL 17:24). God was foreshadowing future events when he would “uproot” the nation of Israel by allowing the Babylonians to invade. In the future, however, God would plant a new tree in Israel that would bear fruit, with “birds of every kind” finding shelter in the shade of its branches (V. 23). God said that no matter how much upcoming events seemed out of control, He was still in charge.

The world tells us to try to control our circumstances by manipulation and through our own hard work. But true peace and thriving are found by relinquishing control to the only One who can make the trees grow. -KAREN PIMPO

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How are you tempted to try to control your life? 
How does trusting in God’s control bring peace?

<We praise You, loving God, as the all-powerful King. Help me acknowledge Your lordship in my life.>

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[ EZEKIEL 17:19-24]
19 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant. 20 I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment on him there because he was unfaithful to me. 
21 All his choice troops will fall by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the winds. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken.
22 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. 
23 On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. 
24 All the trees of the forest will know that I the Lord bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.