The biblical story of exile is a powerful reminder of our true identity as children of God, royal heirs to the kingdom of heaven. Just like the characters in C.S. Lewis's Narnia stories, we are called to live as kings and queens, even in the midst of a foreign culture. This dynamic tension between our earthly reality and our heavenly citizenship is a central theme in the book of Daniel, where we see the prophet living as an exile in Babylon, yet remaining faithful to God. Ultimately, our story is one of an ultimate Daniel, Jesus Christ, who came to live as an exile on our behalf, experiencing the ultimate sense of separation from God so that we might be restored to Him.
[... more]