His Solutions Always Work

(This post is part of a series of posts about The Chronicles of Narnia.)

One of my favorite parts of Prince Caspian occurs when the dwarf Trumpkin has been sent to look for the help that Prince Caspian and his friends have summoned by the use of Queen Susan's magic horn. By this time, the Pevensie children had left Narnia after growing up there and reigning as kings and queens, and in Narnia time, hundreds of years have passed since their departure.

But the winding of her horn has called Susan, Peter, Edmund, and Lucy back to Narnia from England. However, when they had returned to England, no time at all had passed there, and they are children again. It is only a year later in England time when they find themselves in Narnia again, alone, amid the ruins of their former castle, on an island.

When Trumpkin shows up and tells them all that has happened in Narnia since they left, they all realize that they have been called back by Susan's magic horn. But Trumpkin doesn't believe that four children will be of much use; he thinks that Aslan's answer to the blowing of the horn has been pretty impractical.

The passage about how the children show Trumpkin otherwise is too long for me to quote here, but I can summarize it. First Edmund asks Trumpkin to indulge him in a swordfight ("Kids like us don't often have the chance of meeting a great warrior like you"). Edmund, who has regained his old Narnian skills, of course beats Trumpkin, though Trumpkin is no mean swordsman. Then Susan challenges Trumpkin to an archery contest. Susan was a famous archer as a queen, and she also wins fair and square, despite the fact that Trumpkin is quite skilled. Then when Trumpkin reveals he is injured, Lucy cures his wound instantly with her magic vial that she had retrieved from the castle treasury.

Trumpkin acknowledges that he had judged too hastily. The aid that Aslan sent in answer to their call was good and useful, indeed excellent help after all, even though Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy did not appear to be anything other than four children.

Just like Aslan, Christ knows what he's doing when he answers our prayers. Sometimes his answers don't look practical to us. Sometimes we think we've got a better idea. But we never have a better idea. We can trust what he tells us in the Bible. His solutions always work.