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Other, Short Stories

The Prince and the Drawbridge: A Short Story

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The man was sickly, impoverished, and defenseless against danger. The local apothecary gave him cordial, but it turned out to be watered down liquor. A rich landowner lent him coins, but they slipped through the holes in his satchel. When wolves encircled his home, he would drive them back with sticks and stones, only to suffer greater wounds each night. And suddenly, his dwindling hope revived when a promising thought entered his weary mind:

“Perhaps the king shall take pity upon me.”

Stories of the king’s wisdom in medicine, abundance of wealth, and vast armory circulated among the villages, and the peasant man heard his fair share, too. More than that, the king had a reputation for being generous. In desperation, he boldly sought the king’s help—something peons would never entertain.

And after journeying three days, he looked upon the king’s towering castle with relief. But then his heart sank into his belly: a moat enclosed the castle and the drawbridge was raised. 

“Alas! I cannot enter,” he lamented. “I shall wait here, and perhaps one of the king’s men will notice me.”

But the sun soon sank behind the horizon, and so did his hope. Suddenly, the drawbridge lowered, and a rider upon a white steed emerged, but galloped right past him. And the drawbridge raised again. 

He began traveling home, his heart sorer than ever. But while on the way, a horseman drew near. “Friend,” he asked, “I saw thee at the entrance of the castle, appearing vexed. What burdens thee?” The man initially hesitated, but finally spoke up:

“I am dying, with no cure. My purse is empty and wolves prowl my fences. I heard your king was kind, and thought he could help me. But seeing no entry, I dared not force my way in.”

The rider nodded and said, “I shall see what may be done.”

The man’s eyes glimmered with hope and he asked, “Truly? And may I ask—who art thou?”

The rider then smiled and said, “I am the king’s son.”

The horseman then disappeared into the dusk, telling the man to return tomorrow.

At daylight, the man returned—and there was the king’s son beside the drawbridge. At his command, the drawbridge lowered, and the prince sat the man on his own horse and proceeded inside until they made it to the throne.

“My lord and king, I,” but then the king’s son raised his hand.

“Father, this man is poor,” he said. “He is sick and beset by foes. And he has come seeking thy mercy.”

Immediately, the king answered, “Let it be done. Fill his pockets with my own gold. Give him the healing cordial I have prepared. And arm him plentifully, that he may ward off the wolves.”

The son lowered the drawbridge to the king, and the peasant was welcomed into his presence, receiving all that he lacked.

The Scripture tells of another King, another Son, another drawbridge, and another needy man. We are needy sinners who require what only God can give us, and prayer is the drawbridge the Father lowers to those accompanied by His Son, that we may enter His throne-room to receive the grace and we need.

We cannot gain access on our own. We cannot sneak through the back door. There is no way of getting in unless the drawbridge is lowered by the Prince of Peace, Jesus.

And when He brings us into God’s throne-room, we always receive what we need, not what we may want. What He gives according to His will is better than what we want or what we might seek from this wicked world. Our spiritual illnesses cannot be healed by the placebos the world offers. Our spiritual poverty cannot be reversed by earthly riches. And we are defenseless against the wolf, Satan. But through prayer, we enter God’s throne-room, where He heals our soul’s diseases, enriches us, and equips us with the weapons we need to fight in spiritual warfare—so long as the Son brings us inside (Heb. 4:14-16)

Brandon is the pastor of Bandana Baptist Church in Bandana, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife, Dakota, and their three dogs, Susie, Aries, and Dot. Brandon and Dakota are also foster parents through Sunrise Children’s Services of Kentucky. Brandon is also a published author and a religious columnist for the Advance Yeoman newspaper in Ballard County, Kentucky. He is also a devotional contributor for Kentucky Today, a news publication of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His columns are also featured in the Times-Argus newspaper of Central City, Kentucky, West Kentucky News of western Kentucky, and the online blog, Reforming the Heart.

Bible Gleanings, devotions

Run the Race | Bible Gleanings – February 24-25, 2024

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It’s a flat-out pancake race. Held in the English town of Olney, the annual Pancake Day Race is a centuries-old street-sprint in which contestants hold a pan containing a pancake while they run. The race is tied to Shrove Tuesday (or Fat Tuesday), the liturgical holiday of “food indulgence” which immediately precedes the day of Lent. According to the Associated Press, the race originated in 1445, when a “harried housewife [heard] the church bells signaling the Shrove Tuesday service and raced off with her skillet.” And you don’t have to be a pancake expert to compete—you just have to “stack up” against the competition. 

Some races like the Pancake Day Race are purely for entertainment, with no tangible reward. Other races are more serious, such as those in the Olympics, which offer mammoth monetary benefits. However, one race is more momentous than any marathon on earth because it offers rewards of everlasting worth, and that is the race of the Christian life. The Bible often describes the believer’s life on earth as a strenuous race that ends at the finish line of heaven. As the writer of Hebrews commanded, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:1-2a).

Like any race, the race of the Christian life is not easy. It requires a great deal of “holy sweat” and disciplined effort (1 Tim. 4:7). The temptation to quit and rest from the run of redemption is always present. The glaring absence of runners in the race (Matt. 7:13-14), or the sight of other Christians who appear to be getting farther than us might be discouraging at times, too. Above all else, the weight of sin often slows our advance as we attempt to run with endurance. 

We may even be tempted to look behind us and become disappointed at how poorly we ran in the past. But, according to Paul, we cannot focus on the failings of yesterday—we must keep running and facing forward. He encouraged, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phi. 3:13-14).

We must keep moving, fixing our gaze upon Jesus, who will meet us at the end of the race (2 Tim. 4:7). One day, we will cross the finish line when we cross from death to life in eternity. Until then, we must keep on running: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it” (1 Cor. 9:24).

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Lord’s Discipline | Bible Gleanings – January 6-7, 2024

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An unpleasant tingling sensation swept over my body as the needle sank into my vein. It wasn’t a surprise, however, since the nurse had warned me, “Alright, you’re going to feel a slight prick, Mr. Bramlett.” Needles have never frightened me, but I have always appreciated a heads-up before the metal micro-rod pierces my skin. I was in the hospital, desperately requiring medicinal fluids, and the stinging of a needle was the only way to get them into my system. Pain was the price of gain, and there’s no doubt that I would have been worse off without the medicine I needed—even if it required a painful prickle.

And this is what happens to all of God’s children when they are lovingly disciplined by Him. His discipline is a painful prick of the conscience and a temporary sting to the soul that gives us the correction we need when we have sinned. The Lord administers the sanctifying medicine of His compassionate discipline when our sin-sick heart goes astray, and sometimes it hurts. As the writer of Hebrews said, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11). Believers do not face punishment from the Lord since there is “no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1), but wayward saints must endure His benevolent chastising, just a loving father disciplines his children for their good.

His discipline sometimes takes the form of heartache, inward regret, or bitter sorrow (Psalm 32:4). He may also use the loving rebuke of other believers to administer His chastisement (Matt. 18:15-20; Heb. 3:13). More often than not, the Father reprimands us as believers by letting the consequences of our sin run their course. Sometimes, His discipline may be very severe if we continue in sin without repentance (1 Cor. 11:29-30). And just as God chastised the Israelites through famine and drought, the Lord may see fit to upset and interrupt our lives in noticeable ways in order to arrest our attention and correct our course.

The good news is that God always administers such painful discipline because of His fatherly love for us, His children. “My son,” said Solomon of old, “do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Prov. 3:11-12). Moreover, as the writer of Hebrews confirmed, “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (Heb. 12:7-8). Even Jesus promised, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent” (Rev. 3:19).

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:

Bible Gleanings, devotions

The Sleeping Savior | Bible Gleanings – May 20-21, 2023

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How on earth did He sleep through it? While a furious sea storm threatened the structure of Jesus’ boat, He was in the stern, snoozing on a sailor’s pillow. As Mark said, “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion” (Mark 4:37-38a). How was He fast asleep in an uncomfortable position during a raging tempest and while His disciples raced around frantically (cf. Mark 4:38b)?

Because Jesus was a man, and He was incredibly exhausted. The Scripture is clear that Jesus was God (John 1:1; Col. 2:9), but He was also a man just like the rest of us, “yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15b). The Gospels tell us that Jesus became hungry (Matthew 4:2; 21:18), thirsty (John 4:7; 19:28), physically weak (Luke 23:26), and tired (John 4:6). He was so human that He even died (Acts 2:29). Because of this, Jesus knows what it is like to be you—He was you.

This is what the writer of Hebrews meant when he said,

“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested” (Heb. 2:14-18, NLT). 

Simultaneously, Jesus is also fully God, with all authority in heaven and on earth, including authority to calm raging storms. As Mark also said, “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). He was overcome with exhaustion, but He overcame the raging storm by the power of His word. Jesus was “man enough” to sleep and “God enough” to rule creation. That is why the poet Amy Carmichael said, 

“Thou art the Lord who slept upon the pillow,

Thou art the Lord who soothed the furious sea,

What matter beating wind and tossing billow,

If only we are in the boat with Thee?”

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.

Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).

For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word: