My daughters were in Narnia for the first time this summer. Every night, they’d beg for the next chapter of C.S. Lewis’s beloved fantasy series. The spell has taken them in, totally, as we talk of Aslan and Lucy, of Reepicheep and Mr. Tumnus, of glory and dust, of past and future. Prince Caspian is the second book in the series, and its opening chapters read like a stop-and-start, future-and-past prophecy. The Pevensie children return to Narnia, and find themselves retracing their Narnian steps 1300 years after they left, though it has only been a year at home in England. Caspian, the titular character, knew the legends but never expected to find Peter and Susan and Edmund and Lucy and Aslan to come to his aid, restoring his place as rightful king.
As they struggle to grasp the reality of waking up in the ancient ruins of their once-glorious Cair Paravel, time shifts forward and backward in their minds. Could this be my sword? Peter wonders. Our table? Our home? Is this where we danced and played and ruled a beautiful, peaceful kingdom?
Holding the tension of “the already and not yet,” the mix of grief with memory but also hope, is a benchmark of the Christian life, and I felt that familiar, yet somehow distant, feeling while reading Daniel’s third prophecy, in Daniel 11. Already living in exile, Daniel is given a prophecy of an even longer exile, while also clinging to the hope of the Davidic kingdom the Israelites had once known, longing for the time when they would finally leave exile and rebuild Jerusalem.
Daniel’s prophecies were very real to his audience and to the Jewish people. They predicted events that would be fulfilled over the next four hundred years of Israel’s history—redemption that would come for a season and a people. But the redemption Daniel foresaw comes to us as well. We cling to the hope of something that was here once (Eden), and we know will one day come again (God’s fully restored kingdom).
Daniel’s prophecies, especially here, are for us, too, as people of God’s already-and-not-yet kingdom. As believers with a future hope, we constantly experience the push and pull of kingdom living. Our hearts quicken to signs and wonders, reminding us of something that hasn’t happened yet, but we somehow miss and long for anyway. We are Prince Caspian, steeped in the ancient history of our beloved kingdom, but never expecting the good king himself to break into our present.
But when he does, it’s glorious. And that hope that Daniel prophesies and the rest of Scripture proclaims, is very real. God’s kingdom is everlasting, from generation to generation. Once, hundreds of years after Daniel’s exile, Jesus broke into the earthly realm and planted the seeds of God’s kingdom. And one day, He will come again, and bring with Him the full flourishing kingdom that our hearts were made to hope for.
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29 thoughts on "Kings of the South and the North"
Amen! Bring it to pass, Lord. Make us strong in your Word- grounded and established in its truth so that we are firmly standing upon it in every moment. May we not waiver or be deceived by flattery or intrigue. By your spirits power maybe stand firm.
I will trust in the lord!
Agree. Thank you for this insight!
I never ever comment on things like this but am finding myself needing community. After a negative experience at our beloved church home, I found myself just attending for my children’s sake. I was going elsewhere to worship. And now, due to changes in my husband’s job from COVID, we have moved to Germany. We are no strangers to living overseas, but with the pandemic, we have been here a month without really even speaking to a single soul. While we are doing ok, I am struggling with the vulnerability that comes in the waiting. We know God brought us here, but the “not yet” is a space for Satan to attack, to make me question our purpose. And the desire to fill in the blanks myself is just overwhelming. It is a little comforting to see my story played out so many years ago. God is faithful. The waiting is because our timelines are different, but He is here with new mercies every morning. And His story is not yet finished. Mine either. :)
Although in the timeline it is the fourth book, Prince Caspian was the second book published. Reading them in the order Lewis published the. Changes everything. ;)
❤️
Thank you so much for this group of believers! May Gods peace reighn in your . [email protected]
Reading this passage today made me think of how similar it sounds to what’s happening in our country. This passage could honestly be about the upcoming election and the constant fighting, it’s wild. So interesting how things are the same even centuries later.
I’ve been saying the same thing, about how you can look at the OT/NT and see how people are still the same. Many have learned, but there are also many still living in sin & strife.
Absolutely!!
The feelings described in today’s devotion remind me (fittingly) of C.S. Lewis’s definition of Joy—a mix of brilliant emotion with deep, unexplainable longing.
“All Joy reminds. It is never a possession, always a desire for something longer ago or further away or still ‘about to be.’” His book Surprised by Joy is full of gems like this, for those interested!
It is amazing how much the descriptions of these leaders look like they could have come from this morning’s newspaper. Human nature doesn’t change much! And yet, God has reassured us what the end will be. It is in His hands.
I have been going back and catching up on reading the comments. I would like to thank those of you who encouraged the single ladies. I’m divorced and lately have been wondering about whether to get back into a relationship. After reading what was written, I now know that if God wants me to find someone I will in His time not in mine just like Daniel and God’s people would return to their land in God’s time not in their time.
What a blessing it is to study with you ladies each day! Your comments always inspire me.
DOROTHY, it is great to have you back! Thanks for the update on your sister and nephew. Finley and her family are in my prayers today and I will be praying for your heart as you care for her post-surgery.
TAYLOR, your pastor’s quote really impacted me, too, and I shared with my husband.
CC, you will be in my prayers! I am kind of there myself these days.
PRAYER REQUEST: My husband is having a sleep study tonight and we are praying for answers. He has had a difficult time the past few months. Thank you!
By the way, the footnotes below the Scripture reading add a lot of meat to these studies if you have the to invest! Have a blessed, peaceful, hopeful day!!!
Love this- thanks for sharing!
Building 429 “Where I Belong.”
This song instantly comes to mind! When the earth shakes, I want to be found in You! When the lights fade, I want to be found in you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he32vwlKQPY
Rita, praying for your Mom, His rest and healing. Nanak, love that song so powerful, I remember belting it out years ago on my way to work and feeling God strengthen me for my day in the ER back then,thanks for posting it. The Lord of Angel Armies is indeed always by my side.Today the kings of the south and the kings of the north confuse me, but the self elevation and self worship that the flesh and the world seem to desire is so prevalent today. Angie, your words on the radio going in and out, is familiar to me in some of the places I have driven many times, and the static that the world brings, whether it is political, effects of covid, or other interruptions, I am so thankful that as we draw near to the Lord even through all that is meant by the enemy to divide us, or pull us away from the King of kings, truly has no power because Jesus is the victor and there is where we know we are united in the blood, the forgiveness, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Taylor, I loved what you quoted yesterday from your Pastor, “God what’s my life in your plan, will?” This really is great. May we be God focused and step in to all He is doing by His power in our weakness, praying without ceasing, loving and serving Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. And one last comment, as it really made me smile throughout the day yesterday, and I did not have time to comment, Angie, Twinkie and Dinkie, gave me many giggles and I love the sweet thought of your children naming their guardian angels. I imagine in my heart that the mighty guardians were also filled with joy to be named so lovingly. So thankful for your stories Angie, praying over you and all teachers this day, His strength and peace in your spirit, and His overwhelming love touching all your students through the words and laughter and joy you share. ❤️❤️❤️
I started Narnia with my daughter this year as well, so Caspian’s story is fresh in my mind. What a beautiful analogy! I’m thankful for the hope of Aslan and the restored Narnia.
War. What is it good for? It is the fight of evil and evil but eventually good and evil. And Good will win!
“For still the end will come at the appointed time.”
Despite all the political intrigue and wars of Daniel 11, that phrase comforts me. God remains sovereign and in control. Time is in His hands. And because He is good, we who know Him need not fear.
Thank you, Churchmouse, for these words of encouragement. As I fear the outcome of the upcoming elections, this gives me comfort.
This past year, I have found myself more than ever before caught in this tension of being present here yet longing for what I know is coming and that we were made for! I long for home, I long for Jesus. And yet, there is work still to be about here. There are people lost and searching for truth, and I want to be available to help lead people to that Truth.
The battle that is described in Daniel 11 is confusing and a little exhausting. Alright already, we get the point. They go back and forth and no one wins because they refuse to believe in God. But then I think about how my life can look so similar. I bounce between the desires of my flesh and the enticing deceit of the world. I will thinking I finally have the answer or have it all figured out, then maybe if I just buy this one thing or look this certain way it will all feel ok. It will all be good. But the only times this battle can truly end is when I surrender ALL of these desires for power and self actualization and a sense of “peace” to God. The more I fight and battle, the more my battle grows deeper and stronger. Matthew 23 says “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’!” If I try to show up in any other way, I know my plans will fail. I do love though how Daniel 11 acknowledges my imperfections saying “some of the wise will stumble, so they may be refined, purified, and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.” There is hope in what is to come, but in the life I live until then, God will challenge me and the world will pull me in a million different directions. If I stay firm in my faith and draw close to God, I will get better and my faith will grow and the name of Jesus will be glorified through my words and actions.
Love this- I feel the same way! thanks for sharing and encouraging me to stay the course!!
Amen!
CC, Chris Swan, and Kimberly Holman – I prayed and thanked the Lord for each of you yesterday, for some reason it did not post. I wanted you to know you are in my prayers and praise both.
Tuesday, on the way to work, the Christian radio station kept breaking up and a talk show about Covid and politics came in and out. On every hill, songs of Jesus power filled the car, while every valley brought Covid numbers and political thoughts. Isn’t that exactly where we find our days? We battle to focus on the eternal while the firey arrows come against us.
Yesterday morning I had to travel to a bigger city. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper, but moving, across all the lanes, in the dark. Cross traffic, street lights, businesses lit up, big trucks and cars. Distractions and chaotic pace surrounded.
He Reads Truth for today ends with: “Under His loving authority, we can rest in His strength and not in our own. Apart from God, there is no Savior (Isaiah 43:11). Where is our allegiance? To whom do we ultimately bow? What master do we truly serve?”
This world is not our home. We are on a battlefield. May our eyes and ears be fixed on our Savior. May our strength be in Him alone. Bowed low-complete allegiance, may we serve the King and live in the glow of His Light and Love. The victory belongs to our Father. May we be found faithful in Him.
SO thankful my hope is not in earthly things but in an everlasting God who loves each of us so deeply and personally!
Dorothy, so happy to see you back on this site! I’ve been thinking about you and praying for you!
Rita Ann, I am lifting up prayer for you and your surgery today! I underwent my first ever surgery in August and I was very nervous tearful too, but I think that made it very clear to the doctor and nurses how nervous I was and they were very kind and comforting to me! Praying you have a similar experience and it’s okay to cry if you need too!
Churchmouse, I just saw your reply to me and Sarah D. from Sunday! Thank you so much for that beautiful prayer. I copy and pasted it to a Word document to pray over the next person I’m interested in dating and keep with me forever!
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As Daniel prophecies brought about hope for the Israelites, we too can be steadfast and hopeful of the everlasting promise of God sanctioned by our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ; soon and very soon He will return to fulfill the hope of eternity. The thought of this truth invigorates my hope all the more. Thank You Jesus.