A God-shaped Burden - Isaiah: Light to the Nations (Tim Knipp); Isa. 39

From king to king -
Ahaz to Hezekiah -
the stories are told.
The first hears
and disregards wisdom,
choosing military might
over Yahweh's uncontainable
mystery.

Unto you a child is born,
unto you a son is given...
bursts forth from the bitterness of
Isaiah's lamentation,
and a nation wonders.

The second king chooses well,
accepting God's sign -
a worthy monarch,
it seems.
"Is he the One?"
is whispered in 
alleyways
and streets.

But when an alien
dignitary
arrives on the scene,
he is received with
a friend's embrace;
all wealth
and might,
all secrets and 
stealth
are exposed -
the doors opened wide
in the hope
of gaining an ally.

Hear the word
of God on high:
all your treasures will
be plundered,
your grandchildren 
captured, mutilated
and enslaved...

Hezekiah responds -
"Oh, good news for me -
at least it will happen
after I'm gone."

Short-sightedness
and self-focus
blind even this
otherwise sagacious ruler
who chose well 
so often,
yet was not divine.

Who do I trust when
peril brews?
What or who do I cling to
and emulate,
striving to impress
and ingratiate?

All, all will ultimately fail
to save us.
We must not enthrone 
mere mortals
on the God seat -
disallowing their frailty,
their humanity,
their ability to be
both heroic 
and sick*.

The weight of trust and worship
will ultimately crush a human
or anything human-made;
it is a God-shaped burden only.

Let Him receive your trust,
then hold lightly to others,
setting them free 
to simply
be.

 *"heroic and sick" is a line taken from  

Lord of the Flies by William Golding