By Diane Velasco, Guest Contributor  

On October 12, 539 BC, Babylonian king Belshazzar threw a wild drinking party for 1,000 nobles. To impress his guests, the king brought out the sacred gold and silver goblets that had been seized from the Jewish temple in Jerusalem 70 years before by his father Nebuchadnezzar. Belshazzar and his guests drank from the goblets as they sang praises to their pagan gods. It was the final debauched act for this decadent, arrogant king. 

Suddenly, an image of a hand appeared and wrote four mysterious words on the palace wall: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin. The hand disappeared, but the words remained plainly on the wall for all to see. It was no illusion. Fear gripped the king. He called for his astrologers and diviners and offered to make anyone who could interpret the words the third highest ruler in the kingdom. But no one understood the meaning of the message. Finally, the king called for Daniel. 

Daniel did not flinch in delivering the hard truth that Belshazzar had set himself up against the Lord of heaven by his actions and explained the consequences:

“… ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. ‘TEKĒL’—You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. ‘PERĒS’—Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom... (Daniel 5:25-31 abbreviated): 

Clearly, the handwriting is on the wall for America today. As a nation, we have driven God out of the public square, called good evil and evil good, and elected arrogant, corrupt leaders, making us ripe for judgment. Some say America is already under God’s judgment, and its days are numbered.

But can we change God’s mind? The answer is YES! In fact, God sincerely hopes we will!

The heart of our loving, merciful God is revealed in Ezekiel 33:11:

“Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?”

And 2 Peter 3:9 reminds us: “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

The Scriptures are full of examples of God’s sincere desire to relent of His intended judgments: 

“At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it.” Jeremiah 18:7-8 

“When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it.” Jonah 3:10 [regarding the Assyrian city of Nineveh]

“…Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have come to worship in the Lord’s house all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not omit a word!  Perhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.”Jeremiah 26:2-3 

“Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem and look now and take note. And seek in her open squares, if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice, who seeks truth, then I will pardon her.” Jeremiah 5:1 

“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:13-14

God diligently searches for people who will intercede on behalf of their nation and is heartbroken when no one will:

“And He saw that there was no man and was astonished that there was no one to intercede; then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him.” Isaiah 59:16

“I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.” Ezekiel 22:30 

He is searching today for those who will intercede before Him to spare America from destruction. Will He say, “I found no one,” or will we do what it takes to change His mind?

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