Christian Counseling Service -- Devotions

Aslan

Tuesday, December 17, 2002

Genesis 49:9-10 & Psalm 72:12-15 & Matthew 1:1
Genesis 49:9-10
9) You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness--who dares to rouse him?
10) The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs.
Psalm 72:12-15
12) For He will deliver the needy when he cries,
the poor also, and him who has no helper.
13) He will spare the poor and needy,
and will save the souls of the needy.
14) He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
and precious shall be their blood in His sight.
15) And He shall live;
and the gold of Sheba will be given to Him;
Prayer also will be made for Him continually,
And daily He shall be praised.
Matthew 1:1
1) The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
2) Abraham begot Isaac,
Isaac begot Jacob,
and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. ...
16) And (another) Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
17) Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David,
fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon,
and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

Our son Chris is 22 years old today. Like everybody else in our family, some of his favorite books are The Chronicles of Narnia, six fabulous fantasies ostensibly written for children by C. S. Lewis. Besides the humans, Narnia's main character is Aslan the lion.

Aslan (Turkish word for lion) is big, powerful, dominating, usually quiet, and wonderful. Lucy is in trouble, or "needy," and Aslan appears...

A circle of grass, as smooth as a lawn, met her eyes, with dark trees dancing all around it. And then-oh joy! For He was there: the huge lion, shining white in the moonlight, with his huge black shadow beneath him.
But for the movement of his tail he might have been a stone lion, but Lucy never thought of that. She never stopped to think whether he was a friendly lion or not. She rushed to him. She felt her heart would burst if she lost a moment. And the next thing she knew was that she was kissing him and putting her arms as far around his neck as she could and burying her face in the beautiful rich silkiness of his mane.
"Aslan, Aslan. Dear Aslan," sobbed Lucy. "At last."

One of the many Biblical names for Jesus is "Lion of Judah." In the peaceful scenery of God's restored world the lion lies down with the lamb. Of course, another name for Jesus is the "lamb of God."

When I cry in movies it's usually because of the needy being rescued by the strong. Jesus is my essential hero, because he is the strongest reaching down over and over and over to the weakest, and gathering us up. When I am lifted, and even more when I watch others be lifted up, a wellspring of joy and relief releases inside me. Tears, of course, but much more ... deep breaths, filled heart, finally filled expectations.

Like Lucy said, "Jesus, Jesus, dear Jesus ... at last!"

Lord Jesus, I stand in awe, watching your strength, your certainty, your control of my life, of all our lives. There is nothing at all, ever, for us to fear.

Devotions Archive

Aslan

Tuesday, December 17, 2002