The Silver Chair

I was thinking about the bored condition of many Christian men described by Eldredge. It reminded me of a story written by C.S. Lewis. Lewis wrote a series called “The Chronicles of Narnia” and it is headed for the movie theaters this fall. If you have children, then turn off the TV and read these books to them. My children loved the books and listened to me read the entire series twice. It is a fantasy series with many Christian parallels and teachng many biblical concepts.

The fourth book of the seven book series is The Silver Chair. The heart of the story is the rescue of a man who is bewitched. In reality, he is royalty and it is time for him to take the throne. However, he is trapped in a dark kingdom below ground and he only remembers who he is once a day for an hour. He can’t get free because each night, just before he remembers who he is and what he is supposed to be doing, his captors strap him into a silver chair. When he can think clearly he can’t get out of the silver chair. Most of the time, he can’t remember who he is or how he has been separated from his birthright. Eventually, he is freed by a group serving Aslan (who represents Christ in the book series).

For me, the story drove home the scripture in

James 1:19-25
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (English Standard Version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society).

Do you remember who you serve, what your birthright is, and what you are called to be doing? If we stay away from the Word then we forget it all. We may have a comfortable chair made of silver but if it costs our birthright and keeps us from service then we need to get up out of the chair. Jesus says that apart from Him you can do nothing and remember that nothing is not a little something. Men like action and God already has a plan for you. You can do all things through Him.