Do you know God's presence?

At the beginning of Chapter 5 of Daniel we meet a different king of Babylon, Belshazzar. He is the last king of Babylon and is having a massive party, getting carried away, and he has begun to drink from the vessels from the jewish temple when this happens;

'5*Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. *6*Then the king’s colour changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. *7* The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. 

Daniel 5:5–7.

That is rather scary, right?! 

A floating, disembodied hand, writing on the wall right in the midst of this raucous celebration. King Belshazzar may have considered that he was seeing things, or maybe that he had drunk too much…..but clearly it was no magic trick, no figment of the imagination - It was so real that he could not explain away what he saw as his whole body responded in shock; Trembling, falling, looking as if he would faint. What a change from the pompous, proud, partying king that was lavishly celebrating and cavorting with those present! From the centre of celebration, the host is transformed into a quivering wreck. 

What a change this brought upon the celebration too. Suddenly all the fun and feasting disappears in a moment and horror has been exchanged for enjoyment. I wonder what the other people present must have thought as they saw the ghostly shock of the king, and heard his terrified cries for help. To see the king suddenly in this state would have been disturbing and require urgent action. Such an out of character response as an unknown terror had struck the king’s heart and mind. Something had to be done, but there was no-one present that could help relieve Belshazzar’s troubled mind. They might have offered comforting words, attempted to placate him, or offer him another drink, but no-one there could solve the puzzle of the writing or soothe the fright. So, the king rightly acknowledges that he needs outside help. There’s no-one in his immediate sphere, even though there are over a thousand people present, who can help resolve this matter, and he knows that he will not feel alright until this mystery is solved.

It is probably quite difficult for us to imagine being in the same situation - I do not expect many or any of us to see a floating hand writing on the wall. God clearly did this to get Belshazzar's attention. It may extreme, but it was necessary as God knows that Belshazzar would need conclusive evidence that there is another world outside the one he had built. A kingdom that is higher and capable of impossible things like a disembodied hand writing on the wall.

So, my question for you today is; are you aware of God's presence? or does God have to perform extreme things for you to see Him?

God does and will perform signs, wonders and miracles - are you seeing them? Do you expect them? Or are you someone that explains things away in your own mind so that they do not seem supernatural, but natural consequences? Are you waiting for your own writing on the wall experience in order to truly believe?

what's your wealth?

So, as we have now come t the end of the book of Ecclesiastes, it’s time to start a new one. This time, it’ll be Esther as suggested by a friend, so this week we will just go through the introductory bit which sets the scene;

Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, *2*in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, *3*in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, *4*while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. *5*And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. *6*There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. *7*Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. *8*And drinking was according to this edict: “There is no compulsion.” For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. *9*Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus. 
Esther 1:1–9.

So, what do you make of that?!
Basically, the king Ahasuerus, who reigned over 127 areas gave a huge party lasting 180days, that’s almost half a year! For half a year, this king showed off his wealth, possessions, land and household to those he entrusted with power and authority. Can you imagine partying for 6months? Having 6 months with your boss whilst others carry your workload. It sounds kind of ludicrous doesn’t it? just a bit over-the-top?

Then, we can consider the luxury of the place - even the floor is impressive, the stuff people walk over with their dusty feet sparkles with jewels. The whole scene is extravagant. There are coverings, abundance of provisions, expensive fabric, couches of gold and silver, even the cups were made of gold. I mean, I don’t know how much more this king could of done to demonstrate his wealth! It’s lavish, he is clearly a man of authority and power as well as great monetary worth.

So, to what purpose has he put his riches?
In this scene he’s clearly spent it on stuff, impressive possessions, he is showing off what he has, and he takes half a year to do so! He must think a lot of himself, not unreasonably really, due to his position of power.
Yet, to what purpose does he think he has all this? It seems that he is using what he has to; enjoy it, show his greatness and glory in his own worth. He has the idea that all of these things are his and his alone, he shows others what he has, but he doesn’t seem to give anything that he has, his possessions remain his, others may look at them, but he doesn’t seem to be sharing the richness of his kingdom.

I know, in life, many of us will fail to feel an ounce of wealth like this king has, yet we are all wealthy in our own ways. Maybe you are; wise, faithful, patient, studious, creative, genuine, or maybe you do have an overflow of cash. We all have areas of life that we have worth and wealth in, so how are you using them? Are you, like this king, appreciating the good things that you have, which you definitely should, but are you just keeping them to yourself? Do others benefit from the richness you have? it doesn’t have to be in big, flashy ways like this king has done, but if you have a gift of hospitality, do you open your home to others? Do you help others learn if you’re knowledgeable about something? Do you sit and listen with patience to those who need a friend? You don’t need to do all of these things, but you have this wealth for purpose, these God-given gifts are placed into your hands to be used beyond yourself, so how are you doing that?