A Breath Away; Isaiah: Light to the Nations - Christian Lindbeck (Isa. 7-8)

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.