narnia: prince caspian

The Pevensies return to “a more savage place than you remember” in the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. This story begins the Prince Caspian Trilogy, 1300 Narnian years after the Wardrobe. The Telmarines have conquered the Narnians into the “deep wood” and all hope seems lost, as the magical “existence of talking animals” is relegated to legend and Aslan is all but forgotten. Only in desperate need, are our heroes, Peter, Susan, Edmund & Lucy, called back to Narnia. The Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve fight along side the Telmarine Prince Caspian, Trumpkin the dwarf, Trufflehunter the badger, Reepicheep the chivalrous mouse to defeat the evil King Miraz and the Telmarine pirates. Narnia is renewed and belief in Aslan is restored.

The movie adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ classic remains true to the Christian allegory and biblical lessons of the original book. The positive messages are enhanced with dramatic character development and visual effects. What lessons can we learn?

Faith: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 Jesus Christ, like Aslan, will never abandon us or forgot about our need. He is always present, patiently waiting for us to call on His name and follow His guidance. Maybe we don’t always see Him because we are not really looking sometimes.

Trust: “…And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4-5 How quickly we have “forgotten who really defeated the White Witch”. Remember the battles are already won when we trust that Jesus is the Victory.

Choice: “…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods…on the other side… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 Lucy faced the important choice: follow the lion that she knows or give into a doubting crowd. Christians have a similar choice: follow Jesus or follow the gods on the other side. This struggle is not easy, comfortable or popular, but the right thing to do.

Temptation: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 Sometimes, even when we think we have things “sorted out”, the “White Witch” of sin tempts our faith. When our eyes are upon Jesus, watching and praying, we overcome the enticement and win the battles.

Pride: “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 Peter’s impatient plan of attack fails in futility and disastrous loss of life. How often do we make costly choices to fight the enemy in our own way instead of humbling ourselves to God’s Will?

Humility: “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” 1 Peter 5:6 Aslan confirmed "Good, if you (Prince Caspian) had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been a proof that you were not” ready for the Kingship of Narnia. Remember, when we humble ourselves under the will of God, we submit ourselves to the purposes He created for us.