In the same hour, the fingers of a man's hand came out and wrote near the lamp stand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace. The king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's face was changed in him, and his thoughts troubled him; and the joints of his thighs were loosened, and his knees struck one against another. Daniel 5:5'6 WEB.

Belshazzar, the King of Babylon, threw an enormous party for a thousand of his lords. He brought out the gold and silver vessels looted from the temple in Jerusalem by his father Nebuchadnezzar, and he and his friends drank from them.

As they did, a mysterious hand appeared in the air and wrote a prophecy on the wall beside the King in cryptic language. Belshazzar turned a whiter shade of pale, and his knees knocked together. He called all his wise men together to read the message, but they couldn't tell him what it meant.

The King heard about Daniel, the wise old Jewish exile. So he summoned him, and Daniel interpreted the prophecy for him. The writing meant: "God has counted your kingdom and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians."

Babylon was overrun that very night, and the King of the party was killed. The city was surrounded by a giant wall that protected it. The Euphrates River ran through its center, and they grew their own crops for food. Babylon was very secure and considered unable to be taken by a siege.

However, guards neglected to close the river gates during the big banquet. Darius the Mede diverted the river upstream, and his army walked into the city on the dry riverbed. They took Babylon without a fight. Daniel lived, prospered, and was promoted under the new leadership.

There were two men in this story. One was a godless king who seemingly had everything, yet, lost it all in a moment. The other was an exile who faithfully served God wherever he was and continued to prosper in all he did, even when the kingdom changed hands.

Seek God now. Many will try and wait until the very last minute, but it was too late in this King's story. God is long-suffering, but there came a time when He shut the door of the ark Himself. Those who were on the outside stayed out there (Genesis 7:16). Again, there will be a time when His door will be shut (Matthew 25:10). So don't wait until the writing is on the wall to begin a relationship with God. Choose Him now, for we are all one heartbeat from meeting Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your grace and mercy and ask that You forgive me for what I have done wrong in my life. Wash me, and I will be clean. Set me free, and I will be free indeed. I choose You today. Please come into my heart and guide me from this day forth. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Ladies, today is Thankful Thursday at the "Ladies in Distress" group (our RHM women's group)! You are welcome to join in our weekly sharing of thankfulness for the Lord's presence and any blessings you may have experienced, big or small! "Ladies in Distress" is a private group, so if you have any problems joining, just post anywhere and we will help you :). Here is the link: Ladies in Distress

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