Introduction
Hello all. My name is Seth and this is your daily devotion. To start off this faith based message, I’m gonna talk about chess. I know it’s odd, but bear with me. What I love about chess is that every game you play is a learning experience. It challenges the way you think and develops your problem solving skills.
Every win feels incredible and every loss can be analyzed to pinpoint where you made a mistake. As for playing the game, every decision matters. Every new position can change the outcome. Do I take? Defend? What are my goals and the goals of my opponent?
Every piece is important too, from the mighty queen to the crafty knight, to the humble pawn. They all serve a purpose. Whether you’re building a powerful offense or a sturdy defense, each piece, in it’s proper position, weaves together a strategic tapestry.
Why am I talking about chess so much? Just hear me out. There’s more spiritual wisdom in chess than you may realize. The Bible contains numerous principles that are found in this iconic board game. Let’s focus on this one very important verse though.
Chess in The Bible
Proverbs 16:9-“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
As it turns out, chess is a lot like life. The goal is to carefully make a series decisions that will hopefully lead us to success. The strategies we incorporate are the same as well. We all want to stand on our values (control the center), improve ourselves (develop our pieces) and protect those we care about (castle the king). We want the victory, that glorious checkmate.
Oftentimes in life, just like in chess, we think we have to see several moves ahead to attain victory. What’s intersting is that it isn’t necessarily true in either. Grandmaster Richard Reti said this.
“I only see one move ahead, but it’s the best move.”
The Chess Match to End Them All
Since Satan’s banishment from Heaven, he and God have been engaged in a sort of high stakes chess match with the fate of humanity on the line. This is not to say however that Satan has ever stood a chance against God. God has always been and always will be one step ahead and all it took was one move. The best move.
In chess, there are strategies called gambits. The purpose of a gambit is to make a sacrfice in order to gain a potentially game-winning advantage. To foil the devil’s plan to doom us all, God set up a gambit. What did He sacrifice? He gave up His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. This was the only sacrifice that could turn the tables.
Three days pass and Satan was thinking that he had won, but then he discovered that the gates of Hell were suddenly flung open, with every captive set free. Not only that, but the son of God, who was once dead, was now alive and walking, fully conquering death and becoming the salvation for all who would believe.
The adavantage was overwhelming. Satan was outmatched and defeated, all because of one move.
Your Move
Now, you only need to make one move, one decision to receive the victory God has for you. No need to overthink it. It’s really quite simple. Trust in God. That’s it. Hand your battles over to Jesus and trust Him to call the shots. Allow yourself to be a valuable piece in His game.
Maybe He’ll push you forward, towards the thing you fear most. Maybe He’ll pull you backwards, to reroute you to a better position. Or maybe He’ll plant you on a square and keep you there for awhile, waiting to move you at the perfect time.
Conclusion/Prayer
It’s all part of the plan, the strategy. Let that sink in for a moment. God doesn’t just have a plan. He has a strategy. Now, the Devil has a stategy too and he loves to play games, but not even he, nor even the most skilled grandmasters, can predict what God will do next. Victory is assured. Jesus has already won. His death and resurrection was the proverbial “checkmate”. All we have to do is trust in Him. Let’s pray on this.
Lord Jesus: Prince of Peace and Lord of the Fight, we know your ways are perfect and your strategy never fails. We know that upon your death and resurrection, the battle was won forever. You hold the victory in your hands. Direct our steps. Lead us to the endgame. Make the enemy kneel and place him under our feet. Deliver that checkmate. We ask this in your mighty name. Amen.
That’s all I’ve got for you. Go in peace.