Once Upon a Time (Poem)

If you heard an incredible story,

That sounded so incredibly phony,

You would very likely not believe it,

And to hearing more, you might not commit.

But …what if it was verified with evidence

That, to the story, had increasing relevance?

In your mind, would that enhance the its credibility?

And to hear more, would that spark your curiosity?

Those folks whose need for more evidence is insatiable,

Might continue to deem evidence as inviable.

So how much and what kinds of evidence would you demand,

Before, on the story’s credibility, you’d take a stand?

In His great love for mankind, God told us a story,

Iteratively backed it up with evidence, sternly,

Evidence from various ages and human cultures,

Then wrapped it all up in something He calls, Holy Scriptures.

You might ask, ‘What relevance are those to us today?!’

To that, He would answer, not with words, but with displays.

For effect, His displays would be pertinent to our time,

And would further accentuate His message paradigm.

Considering how well He knows human nature,

Surely, His displays much attention would capture.

One effect that is sure to have impacts, un-blunted,

Is shock and awe, more than Grace, which is often shunted. ¹

In His story, God told a prophet named Ezekiel,

Part of His sin-policy that’s so understandable.

Reading news of our day, there’s plenty of evidence,

That this policy likely remains His preference:

When a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness,

Upon it I will dispatch My henchmen of terribleness:

Famine, war, pestilence and wild beasts I will delegate,

Power to remove man and beasts, making it desolate! ²

That’s just a small part of His story, incredible,

That many folks today regard as inviable.

By no kind or amount of evidence will they be swayed,

Not even when a pandemic sends folks to early graves.

So what might it take to enhance the credibility,

Of God’s story and His righteous desires for you and me? ³

Must we witnessed these four henchmen, simultaneously,

Devour folks, beasts and lands in a manner, cataclysmically??

If so, stay tuned…

Let’s be more childlike and just believe what God says.

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¹ Sadly, we generally respond more and better to judgment than to grace and forgiveness. The year, 2020, was certainly one of much shock and awe, globally.

² Ezekiel 14:12-22, poetically summarized. Persistent unfaithfulness is the act of continuing firmly, tenaciously, or obstinately in the characteristic of insincerity, treacherously, disloyalty, infidelity, and unfaithfulness against God, despite having full knowledge that these actions are against His will and plan.

³ See: Four Henchmen, Explained, A Sobering Thought, and What’s Really Going On (…Inside)