My children are Minecraft nuts. When the game came out over a decade ago, I thought that it was a simple “Lego” fad that would go away over time, but it has certainly proven everyone wrong. With its 3D and blocky aesthetic, virtual architects all over the world have built some of the most mesmerizing creations that gamers have ever seen. From the scale model of Notre Dame to the entire planet of Pandora, Minecrafters have shown that there is no limit to what can be created in the game.
However, some games allow players to build structures that are less durable and long-lasting. The pre-teen mega-hit Fortnite, for example, gives gun-toting warriors that ability to quickly throw together makeshift barriers and shelters in order to survive the onslaught from other players. The game was originally designed to be a zombie-survival title, but after the Battle Royale mode gained popularity, the core story mode was scraped in favor of its current model. Now, instead of building shelters to defend from zombie attacks, players are able to erect massive skyscrapers in a matter of seconds; and those buildings can be torn down just as fast.
To say that Minecraft and Fortnite are two different games would be an understatement. Sure, you can build massive structures in both of these titles, but those structures in Minecraft are designed to last, while those in Fortnite are created to be torn down just as fast. One game allows you to build sturdy structures while the other permits you to haphazardly throw together messy shanties that protect you from a hailstorm of bullets, for a time. One game allows you to build on an indestructible bedrock while the other gives you license to build stairways with very little support. Have you ever seen a scale model recreation of Big Ben in Fortnite; I don’t think so.
The difference between what can be built in these games is striking, and all of that is based on the permanence of the structures themselves. The buildings in Fortnite are made to be destroyed; after all, that is is a large part of the strategy of the game. In Minecraft, on the other hand, the structures are meant to last and be enjoyed by others. Puzzles and traps are built to awe players that truly want unique and new experiences. That which is built in Minecraft lasts because it is made to do so.
In the very beginning, God created everything that we see and behold. The very earth that we are walking on was created by Him for His good pleasure. The Lord allowed for the building up of empires and global cultures over the course of thousands of years, and all of those advances led up to the world that we live in today. He is a great builder, and nothing comes to be without His divine permission.
37 Who
can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of
the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?
Lamentations 3:37-38
This passage of scriptures comes from one of the most depressing, yet reaffirming, books in the Bible. In the midst of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian Empire, the Weeping Prophet, Jeremiah, pens these words for the people. He says that everything that comes to be, whether it is good or bad, happens because the Lord is in charge. Jeremiah spells this out in the very shadow of the calamity that was brought on by a heathen nation, and his words show that God always has a plan for what He allows and what he disrupts.
God is the Grand Architect of life and liberty. Within our own free will, we are able to make limitless choices with incalculable possibilities, all while God weaves those choices together to fit His good and perfect will. This is not anything that I can possibly understand, and I don’t think you can either. We simply trust in God’s sovereignty and know that He is building the perfect future for those who grounded on the Solid Bedrock of our faith; our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Up Up Down Down Devotionals 