Don’t Be Afraid

Some of you may or may not have read the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. One of my favorite books is, “The Horse And His Boy.” Here is an excerpt that I absolutely love.

“Shasta could see all the terrible claws extended. Aravis screamed and reeled in the saddle. The lion was tearing her shoulders. Shasta, half mad with horror, banged to lurch toward the brute. He had no weapon, not even a stick or a stone. He shouted out, idiotically, at the lion as one would a dog. “Go home! Go home!” For a fraction of a second he was staring right into its wide-opened, raging mouth. Then, to his utter astonishment, the lion, still on its hind legs, checked itself suddenly, turned head over heels, picked itself up, and rushed away.” (The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis)

That scene is describing the horse and his boy running as fast as they can to get away from a lion. The lion is pursuing them and won’t let up.

This is the scene that explains the first scene: “I was the lion.” And as Shasta gaped with open mouth and said nothing, the Voice continued. “I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time.” (The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis)

That last line explains the first scene. In the first scene, the horse is being chased by a lion. The horse is afraid and runs faster to get away from the lion. What the horse and the boy don’t know, was the lion was Aslan, a picture of God. God who loves us, yet in this scene He causes fear in the horse to get him to run faster. He needed to reach the king in time.

What seemed like something fearful, was actually God guiding the horse and his boy.

Isn’t this like our lives, as Believers? We often can’t see God. We only see the fear. Something is pushing us harder or making us go in a direction we’re unsure of. But God loves the Believer. He wouldn’t bring harm into our lives. In that moment, we can’t see that it is in fact, God who is chasing us. He is the One pushing us. Not because He hates us, but because He loves us. He pushes us forward, for our own benefit. The difficulty is seeing, in the moment, that God is good and that He loves us. And whatever hardship we face, it is for our benefit. God is not the author of chaos. Rather than, every good thing comes down from the Father of Lights.

So hang on, Friend. In those fearful moments. In those waiting times, if you are a believer, wait on Him. You will see His fingerprints on your life. And what you thought was a fearful thing was actually God intervening in your life.