The Bible in The Horse & His Boy: From Shasta to Prince Cor
Welcome to Part II of The Horse & His Boy in the God in Narnia series! (My apologies for my absence!) If you missed out on the earlier installments, you can find them here. Stay tuned for the next God in Narnia posts…!
Dramatic transformation. We’ve seen it before. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie went from being generic English school children to famed kings and queens of Narnia. We saw Frank the Cabby and his housewife, Helen, turn into the first and highest king (save Aslan) and queen of all Narnia. And now we see it with Shasta-turned-Prince Cor. We see it as a transformation, yet those who were “transformed” were really the persons they became all along.
Bilbo was always the great explorer we see in The Hobbit, but he never knew it possible until Gandalf decided to trouble his door one day.
Frodo was the great Ring-Bearer in The Lord of the Rings before he even knew the ring would be his or that it had great power, though he quickly found out upon inheriting it.
Balian in Kingdom of Heaven did not know he was a Baron and the Saviour of Jerusalem or that he even had a living father until his father, the Baron Godfrey of Ibelin arrived.
Even as a human child, Jesus had to discover His purpose so knew that He must “be about [His] father’s business.”
Even so, we are greatness embodied, a royal priesthood, yet we must come to the point where we discover it and then choose to walk in it.
Here, the Apostle Peter (my favourite :) ) tells us that we are a royal priesthood. AWESOME.
Shasta always knew he was meant for more. He didn’t really know what more was or what it would look like, but he knew he didn’t belong in his present, Calormen surroundings. He didn’t think to question how he got there, but he knew he had to get out. So once he met the talking war-horse, Bree, he could have either 1) stayed in his place of familiarity or 2) run away with the horse “for Narnia and the North” which he did! But what if he hadn’t? What if Shasta had chosen option #1?
Shasta would have gone on being Arsheesh’s servant (rather, slave) in all but name. He could have ceased to wonder why his face, beneath its undoubted dirt was white and not brown. He could have suppressed his curiosities until “time and old age” accept his lot in life. He could have done all this. But he never would have come into his true self.
He never would have met Aravis.
He never would have helped her and Hwin runaway.
He never would have met his brother, Corin Thunderfists.
He never would have met the Royal Pevensies and Mr. Tumnus.
He never would have met his father, King Lune.
He never would have saved Archenland and Narnia from grave danger.
He never would have met the Great Lion, Aslan.
He never would have married Aravis.
In short, Shasta never would have developed his character and fulfilled his destiny.
It kind of makes you wonder if you’ve missed out a turn in destiny doesn’t it?
Some things will happen in life regardless of what we choose to do or not do, these are the set times (appointments) of God with which no man can interfere. But the rest, we have a choice in.
When we stand before God on Judgement Day, God will not judge us and our actions by what we are, but rather, by what He’s called us to be and do. If Jesus had died as a mere man with even one sin, God the Father still would have judged Him as God the Son. (Scary thought isn’t it?!) If Billy Graham had decided to be a teacher or motivational speaker, then when he died, God would have judged him as a national evangelist. If Oral Roberts had become a doctor, the God would have judged him as a great healing evangelist. So what has God called you to do and be that you are not doing and being? Are you ignoring the pull of the Spirit of God into the great unknown?
Take Shasta’s lead: “saddle up your horses”--literally!--and set in the direction of the things God has for you so you can discover who the true you really is!