“I tell you he is King of the wood and the son of the great emperor-beyond- the-sea. Don’t you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great lion.” “ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” “That you will, dearie, and no mistake” said Mrs Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.” “Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy. “Safe?” said Mr Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
-C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
I have been attending a church in Denton. Each week we go through a passage of scripture. We read it and unpack its meaning and every Sunday I am reminded of my desperate longing for a king.
I typically do not venture to far from the new testament on my own. I play it safe in the chapters where I know the story and can easily locate without an index. But the last couple of weeks my eyes have been opened to a crucial piece in the story.
The old testament often loses me in its genealogy and history of tribes and battles. But lately I have realized that while each of those stories in there play a huge role its their underlying and comprehensive theme that I have overlooked.
At the end of each battle, or relocation, or overthrowing of power and even at the end of each victory and joyous moment we are left we this overwhelming need for something bigger.
For me its so much easier to find relevance in the stories of the new testament and to look at the old testament as something that is much more distant. But unfortunately I live my life just like the old testament. I need a king. I need something so much bigger than me. And even though I claim to proclaim his coming, his death, and his resurrection there are days I live like it never happened. There are days that I am no different than someone wandering looking for something to worship, just waiting and hoping for something to come along.
But the beautiful thing is that the story doesn't end with the old testament. He comes down and lives among us. So why do I spend so many days acting like he didn't come.
Its all very simple.
we.need.a.king.
We need one much more than we ever will comprehend yet we have one who provides for us in more ways than we will ever realize
And I picture what he says to me each and every day,
"do you not see? have you not realized it yet? what will it take for you to surrender? you need a king. you need me."
until then,
amy
