There’s an interesting story told in the Book of Daniel. The king of the land is throwing a wild party when all of a sudden a pair of Heavenly hands appear and begin to sketch out a message on the wall. King Belshazzar and his guests all see these heavenly hands and of course they’re freaking out. Can you imagine being a guest at that party? One minute you’re doing the electric slide on the dance floor and the next you’re looking up to see these large, floating hands basically writing you an angelic text message. Wild!
What I find most fascinating is this: no one could make out what the Heavenly hands were trying to say. No one could read the writing on the wall. Not even the wise men on Palace payroll could figure it out.
Now, I’m sure this supernatural message was big, bold, and probably lit up like a neon sign in that dim, party atmosphere. You would have thought it should have been clear to all—the handwriting was literally on the wall.
This may seem strange to us at first—how could all those people not see something so obvious? But let’s think about it for a moment. How many people do you know who can’t take a hint? They’re not able to see the proverbial writing on the wall. They just don’t see it, or maybe they don’t want to see it. You know, the people who stay in the toxic relationship. The people who keep striving to make something happen that’s not spelling out. The ones who push past all sound advice and turn away from common sense. How many workaholics can’t take the hint that neither their bodies nor their families can keep up with their frantic pace? How many people continue to use heavy drugs, even though the writing is so clearly on the wall?
Back to our story. The Bible says Daniel, the man of God, was the only one who could read the writing on the wall. He was the only one able to articulate what God was actually trying to say. Why could Daniel see what others could not?
The Bible answers that for us: Daniel had the Spirit of God upon him. God gave this faithful Jew the eyes to see.
No matter how wise, witty, or seasoned you are—or think you are—all of us humans beings have this proclivity towards self-deception. A temptation to stick our heads in the sand and not face the music. But thank God, He can give us wisdom. He can lighten up our path like the rising of the sun. God is the Giver of light, eyes to see, and ears to hear.
I remember after 8 years of full-time ministry, I starting to sense the writing on the wall. Being a pastor—speaking, ministering music, and studying—was my life; it was all I knew, but I started to get this sense down on the inside that God was going to do something different. He finally shared with me that He was taking me on a “divine detour”—one that would seem like instead of moving towards my calling it was taking me in the exact opposite direction. This path would require faith that God could cause this strange path to lead me to the very thing He promised me years before, at my father’s death bed.
You see, I believe if you walk with Him long enough, you start to get this “sixth sense” when you’re missing it or trying to make something happen in the flesh. You start to see His hand in things; you’re quicker to surrender to His timing. The truth is, God wants to lead us; you just have to faith enough to open your heart to Him. He is the Giver and Maker of light, and He’ll give you wisdom—a heart to understand the seasons and times in your life, no matter how hard, perplexing, or painful. Like Daniel, He’ll put His Spirit upon you, so you too can interpret the writing on the wall.
AJ Hall Design 