“Isaiah”

“He heard the sound of thunderstorms,
it shook the bones beneath his skin
and caused the ground he stood upon
to quake and heave and yawn. Within
his mind he could not grasp this sight
not for the smoke or blinding light
but for the deeper clutching in
his soul, a hand too small to grip
the whole of it. He found no words
but “Woe is me.” And barely heard
from him: a whisper torn and ripped,
“I am a man of unclean lips,”
“I dwell among men of the same.”
His words stopped short in his own shame,
for here before the living God
he stood in all his sinful sod
shown cleary by the radiance
of royalty divine. He pressed
his face into the ground and wept
for all the sins he ever kept
and did not cast before His feet.
At last, he stood before God’s seat.Yet there the roar seemed all at once
to fade. He turned his eyes still hunched
upon his knees to see the tongs
of heaven close and draw
a coal of fire from the flame
to cleanse the filth of Isaiah’s shame.
and there it touched and purged his lips
and scorched the flesh until the skin
blistered from the heat of God.
But there he felt the gracious heart
of Yahweh, called by angels thrice
Holy. In this precious sight
Isaiah found his hope renewed
to preach though judgment was the news
And so within his feeble heart
there stirred a flame from only sparks.
And lifted up his voice again,
Isaiah drew his breath and said
Send me, O Lord, and I will go.
and go indeed did he to sow
the seeds of truth to hardened hearts
until their blades tore him apart.

And we must join Isaiah’s voice
and we like him must make the choice
to follow what we know our God
desires for us despite the cost.
Though we should preach to hardened hearts.
the face of God will feed our spark.”

Amazed by Holiness on June 23, 2005