The Jeremiah Project is
happy to present these children stories teaching Biblical values. As Proverbs
7:1-3 instructs us, "My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you.
Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your
eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart." It is
through repeated telling of the stories of the Bible and stories teaching
Biblical values to our children that we can help them write the truths of the
Bible on the tablet of their heart. |
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The Lost
This is good, and
pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a
knowledge of the truth. [1 Timothy 2:3-4]
Explanation to teachers and
parents. I do not usually have to explain the theme of a childrens story
but this one may be misinterpreted. In this story of a prince who is lost from
his kingdom, it might be easy to interpret the prince as being Jesus himself,
the son of the King who came to live with us on sinful earth. But that is not
the intent of this story. The prince represents each of us as children of God
who are not aware that our father is the King and deliberately do not enter
into our inheritance and remain lost in the squalor and poverty of sin. JM
"The
Beggar Prince"
THE SON OF THE KING IS
LOST! The cry went out from runners on horseback who galloped through
every street, every village, every field and forest of the kingdom with the
terrible news. Young prince Roger was missing. The King was frantic to find his
only son. Posters showing his face were up on every tree and wall that could
bear his image. The reward as more than most peasants could even count much
less inherit and the search for the child royalty was all that the people of
the kingdom could talk about.
Even in the beggars village, the
anxiety for the lost prince was noticeable. While the poor, the homeless, the
sick and the outcasts that were citizens of this village were often too
absorbed with survival and finding safe and peaceful places to sleep and eat,
the thought of their beloved prince being lost, stolen or dead was
heartbreaking to them. The prince was the darling of the kingdom. At only
twelve, every boy wanted to be him, every girl his future bride and every
parent his future in laws..
Godfrey lived in the beggar village with
his uncle Sven although he rarely saw his Uncle because he was often off
finding food for them or trying to get honest work. So Godfrey had time in the
village to make friends and even play, like the other boys and girls of rich
people could do. To a beggar a rich person is just someone with a real mom and
dad, a house to live in, clothes that were clean and new, a school to go to and
enough to eat not to mention presents at Christmas.
Godfrey went down
to the playground which was an area of the city that various boxes,
tubes and broken toys that were thrown away by people who were not beggars were
gathered for the children to play with during the day. Uncle Sven organized
this playground so somebody made sure the things there were safe or
as safe as a playground in a beggars village could be. As Godfrey was trying to
take apart a broken tool, he looked up and saw a boy he did not recognize. He
walked over to introduce himself.
Hello, my name is Godfrey. Who
are you?
I dont know. The boy answered
mysteriously.
What do you mean you dont know? You know
your name and who you live with dont you? Godfrey objected.
No. I forgot everything. I dont know my name and I
dont live with anyone. Someone found me wandering on the streets of
Kingdom City and they brought me here because they said beggars have to live
here. I dont think I have a name. I am not anybody.
Godfrey found this new boy very strange. Even beggars usually know who they
are. But instead of being nosey, the boys just played together and became
friends. They met every day and made up games from the thrown away junk that
was kept in the beggars playground. One day they were walking on the
roads outside the beggars village when Godfrey saw one of the signs for
the lost prince. Instantly he stopped and stared.
Whats
wrong, Godfrey the boy with no name asked.
Look, there on
the sign is a drawing of the Prince of the Kingdom who is lost. Look at it.
That drawing looks just like you. Both boys stared but the nameless boy
could not see it. It was clear as can be to Godfrey that the nameless boy
looked exactly like Prince Roger.
Well I am not Prince
Roger. The nameless boy objected. Look at me. Do I look or act like
a prince? If I had run away from the castle, wouldnt I be in
princes clothing? Wake up Godfrey. I dont think there even is a
Prince or a King or a Kingdom. Everybody is just rotting away in their own
beggars villages every where.
How could Godfrey get the lost and
forgetful Prince Roger to look up and see who he really is? He seemed so down,
so lost, so convinced that the very real path to salvation and glories and
riches just did not exist when Godfrey knew full well it did. The next day,
they were exploring unopened cans in the playground when Godfrey spotted a
glimmer under the lost boys shirt.
Let me look at
something. He warned the nameless boy. Dont get nervous, I
wont hurt you. And he put his hand under the collar of his shirt
and found a chain. Pulling it up there was a bright gold medallion hanging from
the solid silver chain. Look at this. Did you know this was there?
Godfrey asked.
No, its a surprise to me. The boy
answered.
Look at it. Its solid gold and the chain is silver.
Look at the inscription. It says To my precious only son Roger and
the symbol on it is the symbol of the King. Cant you see? The King has
put his mark on you that you will be his royal son forever and this mark can
give you your inheritance. We just have to get you back to the King.
Godfrey explained with a voice that was both excited and full of compassion for
the lost boy.
Well ok. Ill play your little game if you
want me to. The lost prince finally conceded but not with very much
conviction. Godfrey asked some people and found out how to make his way to
Kingdom City. He got a little food and the two beggar boys made their way to
the home of the King. Once there, Godfrey was able to find back alleys and
passageways to get the lost Prince to the gate of the palace. There he told his
friend to just walk into the courtyard and his friend did as he was asked to
do.
ITS THE PRINCE! The hubbub went up like a riot.
The excitement shot through the castle and far off in the castle walls, Godfrey
could hear the King shouting MY SON? MY SON HAS COME BACK TO ME? BRING
HIM TO ME? and the love in that fathers voice almost made Godfrey
cry. Godfrey repeated his route back out of Kingdom City and into the quiet
Beggars village and went to the playground to think but when he got there, he
was shocked at what he saw. There sat the royal King Roger, in his old
beggars clothes playing with a stone.
Why are you
here? Godfrey asked terribly upset that the prince was not at home with
his family. You are Prince Roger. You should be on the throne, ruling the
universe with your father. He cried.
Godfrey, I appreciate
your efforts but that was all just a game. There is no King, no Kingdom and I
am just a beggar just like you, he said. That depressed statement of
blindness to his royal inheritance upset Godfrey so much, he went home where
his Uncle Sven was home at last from his work. Godfrey told his Uncle all about
the Prince and how they had traveled to the King but the Prince just could not
understand his inheritance.
Well its like all of us
sometimes, Godfrey. Uncle Sven said lovingly. We are all Children
of God and are heirs to His vast fortunes. The cattle of every hill are His and
He want us to live in his love and joy but so many times we live in sin and
poverty, refusing to see the wealth that is already ours. Go and get the young
prince. We will feed him and care for him and pray for him that God will open
his eyes to who he really is, the son of the most high King.
Godfrey did that and along the way he prayed for himself and the other beggars
and for all of us that all of us would understand who we really are, the
children of the Master of the Universe and the sons and daughters of a God who
will give all to us, if we will just live with him and let him live in us.
Here I am! I stand
at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come
in and eat with him, and he with me. [Revelation 3:20]
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