Harsh reality intrudes -
a jangling chaos,
yet hope still hums
a persistent underscore,
winding among
abandoned shells
that once were
solid structures,
insinuating through rubble
and whispering
in corners,
dusty with shadowed grime.
An embittered
and rebellious king
and all who turn their backs
on God - seizing their own way -
must listen and heed:
Wait and watch;
be still and trust.
But arrogance reigns
and bold actions serve
as anchor weights
to pull the kingdom
downward.
Multiple overtures
from a jilted Lord
are met with slammed doors
and the mouthing
of religious sentiments
to disguise contempt.
Beware the anger
of a holy God
who will not long
endure disdain.
He will come
in all his holy terror
and you will melt
before Him.
You, who were
to shine a light
before the nations,
to be an example,
a representative
of His greatness,
have become despicable
in His eyes.
Spread the word -
spell it large:
the devastation is at hand!
There is yet time,
but only a breath.
Then the tide will rise
from the north and the south,
you will run to the hills
but on it will come,
devouring and destroying
inexorably.
All this could have been averted
by heeding the words
of the Lord:
When enemies advance,
be still and trust,
though every nerve and sinew
strains to act.
Better to lose it all
than grasp and finagle
on your own.
When kingdoms fall
and all you have known
shatters into splinters
at your feet,
all is still well
even when it is not well
in your lifetime.
Through cracks in the rubble
pushes a tiny leaf of green,
then a bloom - fragile
and nodding
in a hopeful breeze.
God's presence among us
will comfort some
and annihilate others.
There is yet time,
but maybe
only
a breath.
Newly ruling, young and green,
he faced an invading force
with quaking knees.
Squeezed on all sides
by swarming hordes,
the people quailed
and cried.
Fear is a solid force,
an enemy from within,
sometimes boldly grasping territories
and often sending small sorties
relentlessly,
night after night.
A message comes:
guard your heart,
don't worry or fret,
take courage.
Acknowledge your fear
but don't let it guide you.
What you fear
will not come to pass -
I, the Lord, am your only refuge,
if you trust in Me.
Choose trust over fear,
hope over despair,
your God over yourself.
Listen, listen,
and you will hear
the quiet voice
of your Creator.
Look, look
to the One who wrestled
in Gethsemane,
fighting fear
in hand-to-hand combat
and ultimately chose
to trust His Father -
even unto death.
It may not all work out
but you will not walk alone.
When the torrents come
you will have a solid foothold,
a place to stand
that will not move.
Though the mountains tremble,
the enemies gather
howling for your blood,
stare fear in the face
and take courage
from knowing
with Whom
you stand.
To see a flash of future,
astonishing in scope
and to alter the present
accordingly -
this is purpose personified.
Am I aimed and readying myself
for what's to come?
Do I listen long and lingeringly
for daily direction and
do it?
Such a sight did Isaiah see:
the King and his entourage entire,
fantastical in full color
and epic in size -
no temple could contain
such majesty!
Flaming figures, shimmering
with white hot purity,
whose voices
reverberated in triune
worship -
"holy, holy, holy!"
The material world
vibrated violently
and he fell prostrate,
overwhelmed with an
acute awareness
of fault and failure.
Then a burning one
brought fire to Isaiah's lips;
his sin sizzled,
vanishing in a molten kiss.
Still half-fainting from
the sensation of
loss as gain,
when the King
called for recruits,
Isaiah raised his hand
saying, "Me! Take me!"
Sights like these are granted to few,
but we can see wonders too.
Such amazing love He has for us,
calling us His children
and friends!
For now, we are unsure
and unsteady,
but one day, we too,
will see Him in the flesh.
He will not be as He was on earth,
but we will behold
the glorious technicolor
and artistry of movement, texture,
depth and delicacy,
poetry and power,
that is His essential essence.
This, is my target,
my hope
and ultimate truth,
the prism through which I view:
irritating personalities,
unforeseen setbacks,
health and relational concerns,
in fact, all that my days bring.
So even when I am wandering
in the dark,
stumbling over uncertainties,
fearful of earth's future
and dismayed by governmental
ineptitude,
I can see a glimmer
in the distance
that keeps me stumbling on,
ever hopeful
and
unashamed.
