Living in a virtual world

I the LORD do not change (Malachi 3:6).

Over the past few years, video games have exploded in popularity. There are shooting games where you can be a fighter pilot pursuing enemy aircraft in the sky or a deer hunter stalking game in the woods. There are sports simulations that allow you to race in a NASCAR event or coach a pro football team. There are role-playing games where you can take on the identity of a mythical hero and go adventuring against the forces of evil.

Part of the reason that these games are selling so well is due to modern technology; the graphics and sounds are so convincing that it is easy to lose yourself in an artificial game world. But I think there is another reason that people spend so many hours playing these kinds of games—they give you a sense of control. When you play a computer game, you know what the rules are. You know what you can do and what you can’t do. As you get more experienced, you can become quite skilled in choosing the best strategy to win the game. And if you fail, you can always load a saved game or simply start over.

How different this is from real life! In real life, you’re never sure what the rules are because nothing stays the same. Each person you meet reacts to you in a different way, and no matter how well you get to know somebody, they are still apt to occasionally surprise you. The weather is unpredictable; a farmer can have a bumper crop one year and be flooded out the next. The economy is in constant flux—you can never be sure if your investments will show gain or suffer loss. Favorite food items at the grocery store become unavailable because of a marketing decision that is out of your control. And when you make a critical mistake in life, there are no ‘do-overs.’

This is why video games can be comforting—they are a place where the gamer can find consistency in an otherwise chaotic world. But there is another way to find security in the midst of uncertainty; God has said, I the LORD do not change. God’s love for you is constant. God’s care for you is dependable. God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never abandon you." That is why we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, so I will not be afraid" (Hebrews 13:5-6). We don’t need to hide away in a computer-generated world to feel secure, because God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble (Psalm 46).