Losing to Liam

“God is always one step ahead of Satan’s schemes.” – Os Hillman

I enjoy playing chess but I am just an average player. I think one of my biggest problems is I plan one or two moves ahead while my opponent is plotting his strategy five or six moves in advance, maybe more.

In fact, a few months ago I lost a couple of matches in less than five minutes each… and my “challenger” was still in grade school. Now, in my defense, Liam is a bit of a child prodigy, and he rarely (if ever) loses. And so, instead of feeling bad about going down so quickly, I simply marveled at Liam’s skill.

In similar fashion, if Satan and God ever sat down to play a chess match, the results would be predetermined. Although Satan is as smart as a fox, he is not omniscient (all-knowing) or omnipotent (all-powerful). That means that God would carve him up in a matter of seconds, not minutes.

I once heard Lee Trevino tell a similar story about Jack Nicklaus. Whereas Trevino was a Hall of Fame golfer with 29 PGA Tour victories including six Majors to his credit, Nicklaus won 73 and 18, respectively.

“Jack would come to the first tee knowing that he was going to beat you, and you knew that he was going to beat you, too. Worst of all, Jack knew that you knew that he was going to beat you.”

That line always gets Lee a laugh, but it also illustrates the point Os Hillman is making in today’s quote. God knows that He’s going to win (in fact, He already has), and Satan knows it too. And yes, God knows that Satan knows that He – the omnipotent and omniscient God – is going to win.

In other words, it is Game, Set, and Match before the contest even starts. I am just glad that I am on the winning side!

“And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 20:10 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President