Can You See The Writing On The Wall?
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 writing you an angelic text message. Wild!
There's no time like the present to do a self-diagnostic. Are you able to see the writing on the wall?
What I find most fascinating is this: no one could make out what the Heavenly hands were trying to say. I’m sure the supernatural message was big, bold, and probably lit up the room like a neon sign in that dim, party atmosphere. But no one could read the writing on the wall. Not even the wise men on the Palace payroll could figure it out.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 a 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?
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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 Jewish exile the eyes to see.
No matter how wise, witty, or seasoned you are—or think you are—all of us human 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.There have been times where I had to accept the writing on the wall.The first time was at 22 years old. I was a scratch DJ turned club/dance DJ, living a wild and unsustainable lifestyle in Gainesville, Florida. I knew it was time to step away from DJ'ing for a season. This was tough, even though I knew I needed to change my lifestyle, I still loved the art of mixing and creating music (not to mention, I was paid really well for doing it!). But God was going to do a new thing in me, and I needed to be obedient.Then almost 10 years later, and after 8 years of full-time ministry, I started to sense the writing on the wall again. This was even harder! Preaching and pastoring was all I had focused on for years. But again I started to get this sense down God wanted to do a new thing in me, and I needed to be obedient. This time I felt like God was calling me to the business world. The tough world of business scared me, but after four years, God has blessed me and my wife tremendously- both in tangible ways and intangible ways.
But here's the point: if God is writing something on the wall of your life, it is for your good!
Listen to Him. It may not always be easy to hear, but God knows what He is doing.Nothing new is ever easy. We humans often fear the unknown. Change can be uncomfortable. It can be challenging. It can make us feel vulnerable. Having to learn new things or start over can make us look dumb. So, yea, it makes sense. We are tempted to stick our heads in the sand and avoid God's message sometimes. But I believe this: if we walk with God long enough, we start to develop this “sixth sense” when God is up to something (even when you don't want to hear it!). Walking with God, we just become more and more sensitive to His voice. More aware of when we might be "missing it" or trying to make something happen in the flesh. We start to see His hand in things and are willing to surrender to His timing sooner.
So, let me encourage you: walk with God!
Take heart, and He will give you eyes to understand the seasons in your life. He will give you that "sixth sense" to know His will and timing for things. And like Daniel, He’ll put His Spirit upon you, so you too can interpret the writing on the wall.