The Writing on the Wall

The Writing on the Wall

It’s not often that I take notes during the sermon in church.  Sometimes I might jot down a note, or underline a verse in my Bible, but rarely do I copy the outline from the overhead screen, much less take detailed notes.  This past Sunday, I did what I rarely do.  I wrote during the entire sermon.  Doak Taylor (Lifepoint Fellowship in McKinney) preached on Daniel 5:1-30, which is basically the story of when King Balshazzar was partying up in the castle while everyone else was fighting a major war outside.  When the King, in his inebriated state, began praising the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone, the fingers of a human hand began writing on the wall.  This scared the king so much that he became pale and his knees began knocking together.  The King didn’t understand the meaning of what was written on the wall, so he called in Daniel to interpret for him. Daniel proceeds to remind King Balshazzar of the time when his father, Nebuchadnezzar, became arrogant and prideful, which resulted in him losing his throne and being driven away from the people.  He was given the mind of an animal, lived with the donkeys and ate grass.  Finally, after living like that for 7 years, Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged God as being sovereign and he was restored.

Now, I was raised in church and have heard this story many times.  I honestly don’t remember the part about Nebuchadnezzar being given the mind of an animal and him living with the donkeys and eating grass for 7 years, but everyone has heard about the “writing on the wall”.  Until this past Sunday, I never really gave it much thought.  In essence, God told the King that because he had chosen not to honor the God who holds his very life in his hands, his days were numbered.  So, the King is going to die.  While this is a sobering thought, it’s a part of life.  Then, God tells him that “you have been weighed on the scales, and found wanting”.  Ok, I might vaguely remember this part, but it never hit me like this before.  Maybe I should take detailed notes during sermons more often, because I can’t stop thinking about this message. 

You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.  These words reverberate in my mind, and I keep wondering, not if I’ve been found wanting, but by how much?  I mean really, how bad am I?  Am I full of pride?  Do I ignore the truth?  Have I been lifting myself up?  Do I ignore the Source of life’s breath? 

Conviction.  It overwhelmed me on Sunday, and hasn’t let up since.  I have prayed about it, but only half heartedly.  You see, the truth is, I don’t want this conviction to go away.  I want to think about this every day.  I want it to continue to overwhelm me; otherwise, I know I will not change.  I will continue to be selfish and prideful, thinking only of those in my little world.  For the first time in a very long time, I have a deep desire for God to get hold of my heart, and keep convicting me, and not let go until I am truly a changed person, from the inside out.

I’m not sure I have the courage to pray this prayer.  So, for now, I’m just praying for courage.