Writing on the Wall

Last Tuesday at our new Thirst in Menomonee Falls, we talked about discernment, and we read the story in Daniel about a hand appearing out of thin air and writing a message on the king's wall. I got to thinking, wouldn't it be nice if God would do that more often? I mean, here we are trying to discern through prayer, scripture, and conversation how it is Jesus is calling each of us to follow him . . . and we're seldomly receiving a clear message.

But then I got to thinking some more. And perhaps we shouldn't be praying for God to write us a clear message on the wall. I say this for two reasons.

First, those of you who know me really well, know that I had a spiritual experience several years ago . . . a vision, to be precise. That vision was a clear answer to the question with which my friends and I were wrestling at that time. But after almost 15 years, I'm still trying to figure out what happened in that moment, what that clear sign right before my eyes means. Since that time, it's raised many more questions for me than it has answered. Responding to that moment drives my life's journey, and yet I have no idea where that journey is taking me from one day to the next.

Second, in the case of the Chaldean king in Daniel chapter 5, once he saw the hand writing on the wall, it was too late for him. He couldn't even understand the writing on the wall and needed Daniel to interpret it for him. The message was one of judgment, and he died that very night.

From these two examples, it seems to me that we can get ourselves into quite a pickle if we want to rely on a clear message or sign from God before deciding how specifically Jesus is calling us to follow him in his mission. Even when God does send us a clear sign, we spend the rest of our lives talking to others about it in order to interpret its meaning. I think that's because, when God invites us to see a bit more clearly, what is revealed is more of the divine mystery. The more intimate an invitation we receive to enter into the mind of God, the more questions are raised for us in knowing the God who is beyond all human understanding.

We journey into the great unknown, equipped not with clear understanding, but with something much better: a clear promise. We may not know what exactly God has in store for us one day to the next, but we have God's promise to provide for us when seeking first the Kingdom of God. We may not know precisely which path God wants us to take on our life's journey, but we have God's promise to be present with us, always welcoming us back when we've gone astray. We may not know unambiguously where our path will turn or hit a detour or be clearly blazed ahead of us, but we have God's promise that the destination is guaranteed.

And that promise is the freedom to live today in the mystery of life, into the divine mystery in our midst. If we sit around on our duffs waiting to see the writing on the wall before deciding our course of action in following Jesus, then it's safe to assume we won't like the message, because we'll have missed out on embarking on the journey in God's presence.

[Image posted by Stephen Duster on www.sanddust.com]