A Chess Grandmaster has many reasons for each move they make. Do not limit God to having only one reason (or even to what you believe is the “best” reason) for why he makes a move—in your life or in Humanity.

When someone begins playing chess, they think one move at a time.

For purposes of deciding which pieces to exchange in an attack, they value a pawn at one. A bishop at three. A knight at three. A rook at five. A queen at ten.

Thus, a beginning player would be glad to lose a pawn to capture a knight. A beginning player would be glad to lose a knight to capture a rook. And a beginning player would be glad to lose a rook to capture a queen.

But a beginning player makes (at least) two mistakes that a grandmaster would never make.

A grandmaster does not inflexibly follow numerical values for pieces such as I listed above. People are created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27). They cannot be reduced to a numerical value, an algorithm, or programming.

Thus, in our limited comprehension we cannot judge the moves that God makes in the lives of individuals or in the history of Humanity.

For example, when Job was finding fault with God Almighty, “the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm”:

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?

. . . . while the morning stars sang together

   and all the angels shouted for joy?

(Job 38:1,4,7).

When the Prophet Isaiah wondered why the LORD was compassionate enough to forgive and comfort his people, enabling them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple despite their wickedness, rebellion and sin (Exodus 34:7), Isaiah wrote:

Seek the LORD while he may be found;

   call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake their ways

   and the unrighteous their thoughts.

Let them turn to the LORD, and he will

   have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

   neither are my ways your ways,”

     declares the LORD.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

   so are my ways higher than your ways

   and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

(Isaiah 55:6-9 (emphasis added)).

This is also one of the difficulties with efforts to endow artificial intelligence with wisdom and morality. Wisdom and morality cannot be reduced to numbers, algorithms and programming. Please read my blog “Tech Made for Humans, Not Humans Made for Tech”.

In addition to valuing pieces accurately, a grandmaster looks a number of moves ahead.

For example, they may realize that if they take a rook with a pawn, their decision may lead to them losing their queen five moves later.

Furthermore, a grandmaster is always aware that they win the chess game by checkmating (in essence, capturing) the other player’s king.

Thus, a grandmaster is always aware that it ultimately doesn’t matter whether they have more pieces and pieces of greater “value” than the other player. The player who dies with the most “toys” does not “win”.

For example, they win the game if they checkmate the other player’s king even if the other player still has a queen, two rooks, two bishops and two knights while the grandmaster has lost their queen, two rooks, two bishops, and two knights.

What does a person or Humanity benefit, if they gain “toys” but lose their own soul? (Matthew 16:26).

Instead of winning the game by gaining “toys”, we win the game by being “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10).

From these illustrations, I note several insights about how God—the Almighty Grandmaster—moves in the lives of individuals and in the history of Humanity.

Do not second guess God’s reasons for making a move.

In your limited vision and insight, it may look as if he lost a rook and only captured a pawn. But, with God’s greater vision and insight, he foresees losing a rook on this move will enable him to capture a queen a number of moves later.

For example, on Good Friday, Jesus died on the Cross. It looked as if God had “lost the game”.

But on Easter Morning, Jesus rose from the dead! God “won the game”!

Why?

Because Jesus “was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Romans 4:25).

Furthermore, we believe that “Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34).

And, therefore, we are “convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39).

We are empowered throughout our life now and throughout our life during all eternity “being rooted and established in love . . . to grasp how wide and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that [we] may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19).

This love surpasses the knowledge of numerical values, algorithms and programming. Such “knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1). “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love.” (Galatians 5:6).

Hardship builds character.

As we are told in the Bible:

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? . . . .

God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

(Hebrews 12:7-11)

As Peter wrote:

[M]ake every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (2 Peter 1:5-7).

As Paul wrote:

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” . . . .

[T]he creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

And as Jesus said:

“[D]o not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31-33).

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Do you believe that morality and wisdom can be reduced to numerical values, algorithms, and programming? Why? Why not?

Have you ever second guessed God’s moves in your life and in the history of Humanity? How? Why? Why not?

Have you ever endured hardships that built character? How? Why? Why not?

READ MORE

For related thoughts, please read my blogs “Praying and Waiting”, “Waiting for Software to Load: Protecting from ‘Bugs’”, “Eating Too Much Too Quickly”, “Acting Wisely: Timing Is Everything”, and “Pandemic Wisdom: Praying and Waiting”.