Yesterday we finally delivered on our Christmas present to son-in-law Martin. He is a big fan of “Escape  Rooms,” so his gift was to treat him and our daughter to dinner and an Escape Room. Part of the gift was that Cheryl and I would participate as well.

For those who have not experienced one, it is an exercise in looking for clues and solving riddles. You are locked in a room and given a set amount of time in which to escape. You must be very observant of all your surroundings. You have to unlock a series of locks until you eventually navigate your way out of the room. While all the information you need is available, often times you have trouble deciphering it. If you get stuck, you call out to an unseen host for a hint, and it appears on a screen in the room. We had to make use of those hints, without which we would not have been able to negotiate our way through the puzzle. All in all, it was an enjoyable experience.

The parallels to our life here on earth jumped out at me. Life is a mystery, a puzzle, which we all are trying to navigate our way through. We have all the information we need to do so successfully available to us. It is the message God has revealed to us in His Word and His Word made Flesh, Jesus. But often times we get frustrated because we do not understand what is going on. And many people misunderstand the message or misinterpret it. Thankfully, we have an unseen helper we can call upon who will open our eyes to what is right in front of us. It is the one Jesus promised just before He ascended into heaven:

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit  …  you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…”  Acts 1:4b-5,8a

God has given us all the information we need to Escape the punishment we deserve. It is in His Word. He has revealed everything we need to know. But we are not left to our own resources. We have a helper, a counselor, a comforter that will guide us anytime we call out to Him. He points us to what Jesus accomplished for us with His living, dying and rising again. We live with the certainty of forgiveness and eternal life.

This is not just good news for the future. God wants us to enjoy our time here on earth, too. We can have joy in our journey through this life by following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, believing in Jesus as our Savior, and for His sake knowing we have escaped the punishment we deserved.