The King Has Another Move

Ron DeBoer
Have you heard this story? It's been told by Christian speakers as far back as 1955 when Billy Graham told a variation of it early in his ministry. Two men are standing in front of a painting called Checkmate in an art gallery. In the painting, a man is playing chess with the devil. The devil is grinning ear-to-ear because he has the man cornered. The title of the painting, Checkmate, indicates that the game is over. The devil has won. His opponent has no more moves.
The first man looking at the painting wants to move on to other paintings in the gallery. But the second man, an international chess champion, wants to look at the painting longer, so he waves his friend on and tells him he will catch up later. The chess champion stares and stares at the chess board, then suddenly he steps back, flabbergasted. "It's wrong!" he exclaims. "There's one more move." He runs to his friend and together they look at the painting. "We have to contact the painter," the chess champion says. "It's not checkmate. The king has one more move."
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When you look at Scripture, you will see that all through history, the devil has had God's people in what seemed like "checkmate." But God had another move.
In Exodus 14, with the Egyptians relentlessly chasing them, the Israelites, finally released to journey to the Promised Land, came to the shores of the Red Sea. They could see the dust from approaching Egyptian chariots on the horizon and hear the war cries of their pursuers. They had nowhere to turn. Their families would be killed; their possessions would be taken. Checkmate, right?
The King had another move. God says to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground" (Exod 14:15-16). We know the rest of the story. The Israelites get to the other side; the Egyptians drown when God closes the water alley.
In 1 Samuel 17, the Israelites and their leader, Saul, were terrified. The nine-foot-tall Philistine giant, Goliath, was taunting them and making fun of their God. The Israelites were in checkmate.
But the King had one more move. An insignificant little boy too small to fit into Saul's armor knocked off Goliath and delivered the Israelites. David, who knew a thing or two about being in checkmate, shows his deep faith when he says, "The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear with will rescue me from this Philistine!" (1 Sam 17:37).
In Daniel 6:1-28, King Darius threw Daniel into a lions' den because Daniel ignored the new law to pray to King Darius and instead prayed to God. In imagery reminiscent of the tomb of Jesus, a stone was rolled over the mouth of the lions' den and Daniel was left to be torn apart. You can't get much more "checkmate" than that situation!
But the King had another move. He sends an angel to close the lions' mouths. When King Darius finds Daniel safe, he says: "I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end"(Dan 7:26).

Perhaps you feel like you are in checkmate in your life. You are in debt. You've lost your job. Your marriage is in trouble. Someone you love is dying. You have an addiction that is eating you with shame.
Whatever your situation, you have to remember that God always has another move in your life. He can get you out of whatever you're in. He raised his own Son from death! Pray to Him. His love for you is unconditional, and he never turns his back on you. You have another move.
Even if your pain keeps you from finding the words to pray, the Holy Spirit will pray for you. Paul says in Romans 8:26: "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words."
When it seems as if you can't move to the next square on the calendar, remember, the King always has another move.