While the jazzy, rain-soaked, vibe of Halo 3: ODST has become one of my favorite overall Halo experiences, I don’t think I ever felt more vulnerable in a Halo game than I did dropping into this one. After years spent behind the visor of the unstoppable and nearly indestructible Master Chief, playing as an ODST trooper felt like a dramatically different and unwelcome experience. From taking damage from falls to falling in battle to opposition that I used to mow down with ease, I suddenly understood just how powerful the Master Chief truly was… and how fragile and weak I am in comparison.

There are few things more amazing than the Son of God coming down and choosing to experience the fullness of our human reality… our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities, our pains, and even death. And because He walked in our shoes, He understands us far better than we realize… He can relate to every limitation we possess and fully sympathize with our sorrows. He suffered like us so He can not only support us in our times of need, but He also gave us a pattern to follow so all of us fellow ODST’s can face our battles and overcome them with Him.

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 1 Peter 4:12-13

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Halo 3 was all about “finishing the fight” that was left incomplete at the end of Halo 2, and after years of painful waiting gamers dropped into the conclusion of the original Halo trilogy to see how Bungie would finally resolve the conflict with Covenant. While it seemed like a long time between installments for us, for the developer it was a relatively short development cycle for a AAA game… especially one that had to live up to such high expectations and would conclude this story arc for multiple characters. The wait felt long, but the stakes were high… so the “delay” was necessary.

While waiting on the Lord is one of my least favorite activities in life, He has a reason for what appears to be a “delay” in what we are seeking. The doors that He opens for us may represent the closure of a door for someone else, and in His infinite mercy He will wait until the perfect time for both of those to occur by holding the door open to the last possible moment. And in the meantime, He wants us to find the beauty and purpose in the places we are currently occupying as we continue on the path He has designed for us to its’ conclusion.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9

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One of the most controversial moments in Halo 2 was the developer’s decision to switch the  player’s perspective in the middle of the game from our beloved Master Chief to a brand new character… the Arbiter. While this felt like a classic “bait and switch” at first, playing as the Arbiter and seeing the Chief from a different point of view enhanced our understanding and appreciation for both characters, adding some much needed depth to the stoic character of the Master Chief in the process. Looking back, I didn’t appreciate the change in the moment… but those Arbiter levels ended up becoming some of my favorite levels in the entire game.

Much to my chagrin, the Lord doesn’t always answer my prayers in the manner that I asked or the way that I hoped He would… but that is because He is telling a bigger story than the one I can see. He hears all of our prayers, but He only answers them in consistency with His divine will and character… and in those times when it seems like His response is at odds with my desires, I’ve found that these unwanted detours He takes me on end up becoming some of my favorite parts of my entire journey. 

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:1-4

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. 1 John 5:14-15

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