"scarcely are they planted"

From Isaiah 40:

It is God who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to live in;
who brings princes to naught,
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.

Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them,
and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off
like chaff.

After elections, or any change of leadership, our attention often turns to the new people in charge. Maybe hopefully, maybe in frustration. But I think we should turn our eyes to those going away, and remember God's promise.