Puzzle Placater

Job 32:8 -- "But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding."

Everything came to a complete stand still as I viewed the digital environment surrounding my video game character - the controller sitting limply in my lap.

Wow.

I just had to take a moment and "breath" it all in. The incredible and award winning music of composer Jeremy Soule played perfectly to a scene with old dwarven ruins, giant boulders and an underground stream complete with water fall and fish. The dirt path lay before me and large trees grew, flourishing in the light that trickled in from the holes in the rock laden ceiling.

Again, wow.

But there in front of me was one of the largest Dwemer [Dwarven] ruins I'd ever laid eyes on, intimidating in size - but even more intimidating in the lock mechanism that I was somehow suppose to figure out. Each niche meticulously carved in stone by a Dwarven Race now long gone held spinning gears that I was to animate in the right sequence using my trusty bow and arrow. If done right, the doors open and my digital hero could complete her quest and win the prize. However, set off the tone lock in the wrong order and I'd be faced with monsters, misery, and possibly a gruesome digital death. Not to mention, the all important gilded door would not open and I could not move forward.

Lucky for me, a failed adventurer - the body and notebook of whom I'd discovered upon entry to the cave  - left an eager spirit behind to guide me and assure my success.

Now I'll be honest, I'm not a pro gamer or anything but I do have quite the number of hours logged for this particular game and usually have no trouble figuring out the numerous puzzle locks that pop up through out, but this one left me more than a little baffled and I was pleased to have the ghost of Katria help show me the way. Not only was she with me in spirit, but as I discovered by reading the journal she'd left behind, she'd kept detailed notes on her journey prior to her death, and reading through it's tattered pages I was able to solve the bell tone puzzle and get the ruins open without so much as a scratch.

Remind you of anything ... or anyone?

Even as I achieved the goal of reaching the quest objective and obtained more treasure I was smiling to myself because this particular story line reminded me of the words in Job. The breath of the Almighty gives us understanding.

How many puzzles do we face in life that will just NOT get solved without deep understanding? Like my video game character, we can't move on toward the goal sometimes, as we are stuck behind an unsolvable issue. But God HAS indeed given us a manual. He has given us His living Word AND remains with us as a guide through the Holy Spirit.

Sure, our Guide might not pop in ethereal form the way Katria did so deep in the belly of a forgotten barrow, but He is with us none the less. His breath, His spirit are within us. Job reminds us that we have all we need to gain full understanding. We don't have to use up all the arrows in our quiver, shooting haphazardly at random goals without purpose. The breath of our Almighty is our guide. With Him, the seemingly unsolvable dilemmas in our lives can be understood and conquered. The treasure is surely within our grasp.

We need but to stop - take a moment to "breath" it all in.