October 2, 2026 Devo

If you ever wondered where the phrase “the handwriting is on the wall” is from, today’s passage is it. Evidently, Nebuchadnezzar’s time spent as a wild animal wasn’t enough proof to King Belshazzar that pride was a dangerous thing. Somehow, Belshazzar believed it would never happen to him. But it did.
When I read this passage today, I wondered how many times God had tried to get Belshazzar’s attention, but never could. Were there close friends who tried to point it out? Were there times in the past when his pride cost him, but he refused to admit it? Did his wife or wives ever try to lovingly talk to him about it? Maybe. But you have to be careful talking to a king about their flaws; he might take off your head!
I laughed out loud when I thought about that, because those are the same words I’ve heard people use when they tried to talk to their friend or spouse about something in their life they needed to change. “I thought they were going to tear my head off!” Most of us, even those of us who are Christ followers, aren’t always open to correction. Maybe like the king, it’s our pride. We have an anger issue that makes people around us to walk on eggshells. Or we have a negative attitude that causes us to be “doom and gloom” about everything. Maybe we’ve become lazy. Maybe we’ve gotten careless with our language. Maybe we make promises but often don’t follow through. You can fill in the blank for your own blind spot.
What’s sad is that we often don’t see the clues or hear the hints until things start to get really sour. Our spouse calls us into one of those “we need to talk” conversations. Our friends are suddenly always too busy to get together. Our boss sends us an email saying they need to see us in their office. Or worse, in the HR office! Our spiritual mentor asks us to coffee and says, “Are you okay?” That’s the “handwriting on the wall.” Trust me, God’s been trying to get our attention long before that.
Our passage today reminded me of how important it is to live with an open heart to God’s Spirit and an open mind to His correction. None of us are without flaw, and we are each susceptible to drifting off course from time to time. And God, in His great love for us, often uses gentle ways to try and guide us back. When that doesn’t work, the handwriting on the wall appears. Let’s make our prayer today, “Speak, O Lord, and let me hear. Show me and let me see. Let my life be easily guided by your gentle touch.” Maybe then God can keep His pen in His pocket. That’s God’s Word for you today.