Pastor’s Corner: “More than a Pawn”
God pushed and prodded the stubborn pride of Saul. Acts 26:14 (AMP) – 14 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice in the Hebrew dialect (Jewish Aramaic) saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick [repeatedly] against the goads [offering pointless resistance]. The goad is a traditional farming implement, used to spur or guide livestock, usually oxen, which are pulling a plough or a cart (cattle prod). Day after day Saul kicked against those goads, until finally he got the message. There would be no more running. No more hiding. The fight was over. God wins.
Every two years in September, a costumed human chess game is played in Marostica, Italy. In the town square, Piazza del Castello, the human chess pieces (complete with live horses for the knights) stand on a giant chessboard, waiting to receive their orders to move. When your life looks nothing like the life you planned for yourself, it might seem like you are simply a pawn in God’s giant chess game. You wonder if maybe he is only giving orders, moving you around this planet on a whim.
C.S. Lewis likened God’s conquering work of Saul’s rebel will to a divine chess player: systematically, patiently maneuvering his opponent into a corner until finally he concedes. “Checkmate.” Like Saul, we’re no match for God. Checkmate is inevitable. But it’s no game. God will do whatever it takes to bring us to a point of absolute dependence on Him. He will relentlessly, patiently, faithfully goad and prod us until we finally and willingly submit to Him. Why? Because of His great love for us! Ephesians 3:16-18 (NIV) – 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.
It’s not only at Christmas that we need to remember Jesus’ name: Immanuel, “God with us.” Not God above us, not God watching us, not God vaguely aware of us, not God playing with us. We are not bit players in His game. Instead He got in the game with us; He came to play for us. He chose to leave heaven and become one of us, to walk with us, to live among us. When Jesus went back to heaven after he won, he didn’t leave us alone again to resume the game on our own. Instead, Holy Spirit came and now lives inside of us. God with us is now God in us. Revelation 21:3 (NLT) – 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. The news only gets better. While we wrestle with this imperfect world, we know a perfect version of it is waiting for us. Jesus’ victory guaranteed it. We wrestle with the world, just don’t wrestle against Jesus (kicking against the goads).
It often seems that people are caught in events beyond their control, seemingly manipulated by God or Satan. They may feel forced into situations they would not choose if they were given a chance. While this seems unfair, there is another way—a higher way—to interpret the circumstances of life. We can see them as God-given opportunities to cooperate with His love, purposes and plans. And, by serving Him, to fulfill something far more significant than our own schemes ever could. We are much more than pawns in a chess game! We can honor Almighty God by the way we live and die and have an eternal impact on this world for eternity. Like Saul God can mold us and shape us into Paul.
You may have been a Christian for some time, but you’re clinging to the reins of your own rebel will. Until you’ve fully surrendered your life to Christ, you’re as lost as Saul was on the Damascus road. You need to know that God will goad you too. Sooner or later He’ll get your attention. No matter what it takes. He’ll bring you to a place in your life where you realize there’s no point in continuing to kick against the goads. Stop your own Damascus Road journey today. Like Saul, surrender. And like Saul, you’ll never regret it. Surrender to His perfect love and will in your life. Then and only then will you be able to experience true freedom.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton