In most modern video games whenever you make a mistake or something doesn’t go the way you planned, you can always stop the game, reload your last save file, and try it again with no consequences (unless you’re playing Undertale). Did that encounter with an ancient dragon not go like you planned? Reload your last save! Did you fail that persuasion check that was crucial to getting that weapon or piece of armor you wanted? Reload your last save! There is a tremendous sense of security, and relief, that comes with knowing if anything ever goes wrong during the course of your game you can always double-back to your last save and give it another try.
If only that were possible in real life, right?
Unfortunately, the real world does not afford us that luxury. In essence, we’re only given one “playthrough” of life and there is no option to stop and reload at any point along the way. The choices that we make are permanent, and if something doesn’t go the way we hoped then we have no choice but to move forward and deal with whatever consequences or disappointments may come. This fact can sometimes make life difficult, especially if those consequences or disappointments stick around.
While there are no promises anywhere that life will be easy, we are promised in the Bible that we never go through times like these alone. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:28
28 We know that God works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Common English Bible
This means that everything we encounter in life, no matter what it is, can be used by God to ultimately bring about good. Sometimes this means we have to be patient and allow God to bring about that good in His own time, but the promise here is that God is able to bring everything together for good.
There is further comfort to be found in the words that Jesus spoke to his disciples before he ascended into Heaven. It’s a passage known as “The Great Commission” because of the charge that Jesus gives them to go into the world and create disciples. It’s the promise that he gives at the end, however, that is a source of tremendous comfort. After giving them the daunting task of going into the entire world and spreading the news of his resurrection, Jesus tells them in Matthew 28:20
Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.
Common English Bible
While we may not be able to reload a save file in real life, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t without any help at all. One of the joys of following Jesus is knowing that we never face any of the trials of life alone. We also know that in the end God can take all the troubles that we deal with and work them together for our good. Who needs a save file when you have assurance like that?
