July 28, 2009
I am sure that very few people would consider a video game the best place to learn anything about God. Indeed, some games are macabre and border on satanic. But indulge me just a little and I will share with you what I have learned.
This particular game is a historically based battle game. The objective is to build a city large enough to support a military force which will fight to restore the kingdom to its rightful monarch. The player must train serfs for various tasks. Each serf will only perform the task for which it was trained. Some are laborers (construction), some carpenters, some ironworkers, and some militia.
The player lays out a town and decides what buildings will go where. The laborers will respond by constructing the buildings as instructed, but can only complete a structure if the appropriate resources have been allocated; thus, you train stonemasons (quarrymen), woodsmen, and carpenters first.
What makes this game a challenge is that the serfs exercise a moderate sense of autonomy. In other words, if you designate 3 buildings to be built, a laborer may work on any of the three regardless of the order that you indicated. The serfs also take random paths to their destination.
So, the player can indicate specifically what they want done, but the serfs will respond in general. Therefore, planning and strategy are key to success.
In one scenario, I was trying to build lookout towers (which can toss rocks down on approaching armies). I indicated the location of where I wanted the towers to be, but the serfs were taking routes to the location which caused them pass too close to the enemy lines and they were eliminated by the enemy archers.
In another scenario, I had several buildings under construction when I discovered my food stores were running low. I indicated that I needed farms built, but the laborers simply ignored the new instruction in favor of finishing the building they were working on.
Military units will not retreat when engaged in battle (archers will retreat). So, if you get into a situation where your militia is overwhelmed, they will not (without explicit instructions to do so) pull back to save themselves and regroup for future conflicts.
While playing these games, I was impressed with several things:
First of all, as the player, I could see the entire playing field and knew things that the serfs could not “know” individually or collectively.
Second, whatever plans I may have intended, the serfs had the choice to respond appropriately or not.
We likewise cannot possibly know everything about this world or this life. But God can and does see all. His understanding far exceeds our own and His plan is perfect in His will.
But also like the serfs in the game, we have a choice to respond to God’s will or to follow our own path. Often when we choose to make our own decisions without heeding the Holy Spirit, we can delay, or even cause serious harm to God’s plan. We can put others or ourselves in danger. And in so doing, a new plan may need to be put in place. Ironically, even when we think we are making a very logical or prudent decision, if we are not following the absolute will of God, we may actually be hindering God’s plan.
What I learned was that it is profoundly important that we seek and heed the will of God. We cannot ever think that we can make a decision for God that is not exactly what He has instructed. Even (especially) when we think we are making the right decision – if that decision is not a result of prayer and communion with God, we can actually work against His plan.
Jesus spoke of those who obey His will as his immediate family.
(Mark 3:35 KJV) For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.
(Mat 21:28 NIV)
"What do you think? There was a man who had two
sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'
(29)
"'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his
mind and went.
(30)
"Then the father went to the other son and said the
same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go.
(31)
"Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The
first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax
collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.
(32) For John came to you to show you the way of
righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the
prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe
him.
So we see that obeying the will of God is very important to Jesus and He spoke harshly about those who did not obey His will.
Finally, my last observation came from military strategy. On of the most effective military tactics is to catch the enemy by surprise. Very often this is difficult to do as the enemy may have strongly fortified front lines. A number of strategies may be used to weaken the front or to distract the enemy.
One method is called a flanking maneuver. In this tactic, the aggressing units will engage the enemy on one front. As the defender responds to this conflict, a second aggressing unit will move in on a side of the defending unit. Most military lines are arranged so that the front line is a tactical combat unit and rear lines are support to the front lines, such as archery or artillery. These rear lines are very useful in assisting the front line, but also extremely vulnerable on their own. The flanking maneuver exposes these rear lines to the flanking aggressor unit.
The downside to this is that some of the primary force (on the front line) will be lost so that the battle can be won.
What I learned is this: I am not the only person involved in God’s plan. I am one of many. There may be a time when I am on the front line and my loss will benefit the overall plan of God. Should I be hesitant to perform this task? Should I consider that my loss is a mistake? And most importantly, is it wrong for me to lament my infirmities by presuming I deserve better as a child of God?
Before I go too far, let me clarify that God considers no one to be expendable or less important than anyone else.
(Mat 18:14 KJV) Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
Likewise, some of us are strategically placed so that God may gain glory. Consider the blind man the Pharisees encountered. They asked Jesus whose sin caused this man’s blindness. It was common belief that infirmity was the result of sin. So, in the minds of the Pharisees, this man was afflicted for some reason. But Jesus explained that this man was made blind solely for the purpose of glorifying God.
(John 9:3 NASB) Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him.
Ultimately, this life is not about me, or even us. It is about God and we should consider ourselves privileged to participate in His plan no mater what consequence that brings on us.