Most of us have read The Chronicles of Narnia series written by C.S.Lewis. Although the major players in these fantasies are 4 sibling children, the real star is a male lion named Aslan.
My favorite line from the books is a 5-word statement that recurs throughout the series: “Aslan is on the move.”
In the storyline, once the big lion has begun to move, all kinds of impressive things begin happening, positive things that defy logic and bring delightful consequences. The lion has supernatural power over everything from relationships to the weather, and the children learn to put their fear of him aside and trust him.
When they discover that Aslan’s enemies have bound him and tortured him, they hide in the bushes, frightened and in deep distress over his suffering. As he is killed, their grief escalates, but the next day they realize their beloved Aslan has come back to life! Their joy knows no bounds.
In the Lewis allegory, Aslan parallels the character of Christ, who sacrificed his own life for another motivated purely by love. Once resurrected, the lion is again “on the move,” and eventually his good conquers all evil.
When I hear that statement, “Aslan is on the move,” I think of the way God answers prayer. Let’s say that back in 1986 I begin to pray for someone I dearly love, to commit her life to Christ.
Many years pass as I pray, and my friend evidences no changes in her beliefs or behaviors. She has zero interest in spiritual things. Eventually, as lack of an answer discourages me, my prayers for her wane, and by 2002, I table that particular request altogether. “I guess it’s not meant to be,” I think.
Then, in 2006, taking me by surprise, my friend begins asking questions about the Bible, suddenly interested in what Scripture has to say. I think, “Aslan is on the move!” I might even speak that sentence out loud thinking, “God has finally decided to answer my prayers of 20 years ago!”
In reality, he began to move way back in 1986 with the first voicing of my very first prayer about my friend. Though I didn’t see any outward evidence of change, he began creatively shaping circumstances, rearranging the details of that woman’s life, and bringing along situations that would challenge her toward faith.
In the Narnia story, Aslan’s arch-enemy is a witch who tries to work her magic on him, but his response is profound: “There is a magic deeper still the Witch does not know.”
Of course Christ’s power has nothing to do with magic and everything to do with him being God Almighty, but the principle is the same: with his unmatched supremacy he can overcome evil with good anywhere, anytime, and always.
And incredibly, he often begins the process by responding to our prayers.
“I am the Alpha and Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)
