A Poet and a Prince

It's common knowledge that most girls want a prince. They want the suave, confident, handsome, and heroic manly-man. They want a man who isn't afraid to swing a sword and defeat the villian. Blood, sweat, dirt and all.

But there is another side of a man that is greatly desired by ladies as well. It's the poetic side.

When guys hear the word "poetic" they usually grumble and think of Shakespeare and Longfellow and their English Literature class in school. But the poetic side that girls long for isn't a man in tights fervently saying "It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!" It's not even roses and rings. It isn't even fancy restaurants and candlelit dinners. Those things are sweet, but it is so much more than that! The poetic side is the simple romance of the heart. It's the time spent thinking of and appreciating the other. It's the tender words, the thoughtful actions, the sweet little notes and beautifully written love letters. For a prince to be truly noble, he must be tender. He must be willing to fight off the dragons (and bugs and mice too!) and willing to risk his life saving you from harm, but he also must be thoughtful, kind, considerate, loving...not just risking his life for you, but willing to literally lay it down. And vice-versa for us ladies! (But more on the flip-side another day!)

Jesus, as I have written before, is the PERFECT Prince! The true Prince. He is the ultimate Warrior, the ultimate Champion. But He is also the ultimate Lover. He is the ultimate Poet. He demonstrated His love for us not only by coming to earth and defeating Satan's hold on us, offering us Salvation, but He demonstrated His love by literally laying down His life for all of mankind.

I heard it said once that the perfect picture of manhood and of Jesus can be found in reading Revelation and Song of Solomon together. In Revelation, we see the strength and mighty valour of Christ. We see His Kingly manner and His royal position and authority. Then when reading Song of Solomon, we see His tenderness, His passionate love, and His poetic expression of that love. We see two sides of the Great King and Prince, Jesus Christ.

So it should be with earthly men.

If they desire to be like Jesus, then they must follow in His footsteps. They must be mighty and strong, standing up for least, defending the weak, serving Christ, and fighting in the army of God relentlessly. And along with that, they must be gentlemen, respectful, thoughtful, kind, sincere, trustworthy, faithful, romantic, tender, and loving. They must work with all their heart to be a poet and prince... just like Christ.

We girls swoon over a man like this. And as a reminder to myself and all you girls out there - earthly poet/princes are carbon copies, not the real thing! We should swoon 100 times more over Jesus Christ - the ultimate example of nobility and the Creator of all that is Princely and Poetic. We should desire an intimate relationship FIRST and FOREMOST with Him. As a result... He will lead us to our earthly poet/prince. :)

The following song is a perfect picture of the contrast between the earthly noble prince/poet and our heavenly Prince/Poet. It makes me cry...fyi, so grab some tissues girls and WAIT for a man like this. And all you guys? Tighten your belt and determine to BE like your King. I can assure you, there is nothing so handsome and worthy of respect and honor than a man who is a Poet and a Prince...

http://www.imeem.com/sunshine-rachelle/music/5Ad7QIaB/eric-and-leslie-ludy-poet-and-a-prince/

She longs for me to hold her
Offer my shoulder
Cherish her as a flower
Adore her as an angel

She longs for a defender
A love-inspired prize fighter
A champion, a charmer
A prince so noble like this

When I look within
Do I see a prince smiling back at me?
Or do I see a soul that’s been swallowed
By selfishness and greed?
If I’ll ever be a great lover, I must remember this
Love that lasts forever is found only in...Jesus

She longs for me to serenade
Think of her throughout my days
Know when to buy her flowers
Talk with her for hours

She longs for a lover
A true man of tenderness
A gentleman, a poet
A prince so noble like this

When I look inside
Do I see the signs that God is changing me?
Or do I see a man still led by self
Yearning to be free?
If I’ll ever be a great lover, I must remember this
Love that lasts forever is found only in...Jesus

He can teach me how to love her
Honor and defend her
How to be a man she laughs with
And she trusts enough to cry with
Someone just like Jesus

She longs for a true lover
I can be this for her
Cause I will learn from Jesus
How to be a man that’s tender

His gentleness and strength
And love that spans eternity
He’s a champion of true love
He’s a gentleman, a poet, a prince

The Warrior Prince

Isaiah 9:6b -"....and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

Judges 6:12 -"And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor."

Most every girl longs for a warrior prince, a noble knight, a valiant man of honor. Unfortunately, these days, men of such esteem are few and far between.

When I was little, I adored the "princes" in the movies. My heart would ache with excitement and longing while I watched Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty, as he rode in on his noble steed, defeated the dragon, braved through the forests, thundered up the palace steps and rescued his beloved princess!

What modern-day normal, average Joe would do such a dangerous and noble thing now?

The answer? Very few.

Recently, I've been reading the Old Testament battle sequences in the Bible. Over and over, I find phrases like "mighty men of valor" and "all the valiant men" and "a man of war." Words such as "honorable," "strong," and "helper" have stuck out among all the names and stories of the warriors. Men like David, Jephthah, Gideon, Benaiah have a name among the "mighty men of valour." David was a warrior and a King. He slayed Giants by day and wrote songs and psalms by night. A mighty man.... a tender man. A poet and a fighter. Many times we overlook the amazing "wow-ness" in the story of David killing the lion and the bear with his two hands, and then the giant, Goliath, with a single stone.

What modern-day guy could do that??

The answer? Next to none.

Sadly, the men who have the power of God upon them so strongly that they can defeat lions, tigers, bears (oh my!) and the giants are closer to zero. Most "men" are femininity-bashing, innocence-conquering, wolves in sheep's clothing. They are of the charm-enhancing, smooth-talking, self-centered breed, who believe themselves to be God's gift to women. Where are the noble knights? The mighty men of valor? The honorable kind?

Take heart, my sisters reading, for there are still a few warrior-princes out there. Amongst the ones who try to be men in their own strength and under their own terms, are the mighty princes on their noble steeds who still stand for and fight for their King Jesus, who still defend the poor and the weak, who still protect innocence and purity, and who still have a tender heart and a warrior spirit.

There is one man, however, who is the ultimate picture of a Warrior Prince. In fact, he makes Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty look rather wimpy. He is the One who is the epitome of manhood, of knighthood, of strength and power. He is the One who is the shining example of love, faithfulness, tenderness, and wonder.

He is none other than Christ Jesus.

The few warrior-princes of our day are truly a sight to behold! But they are only small shadows of the ultimate Warrior-Prince. They are His workmanship and He has molded them into His likeness. But He is the true Warrior-Prince. It is Jesus who is the ultimate "mighty man of valor" who conquers sin, death, and the grave. It is Jesus who is the epitome of nobility and honor, who is full of grace and lovingkindness.

It is a lovely thing to have an earthly warrior-prince....a man who will serenade you, write you sweet sonnets, love you eternally, and fight with all the zeal of a knight for your heart.

But it is an even greater thing to be Christs'....to have the great King of Kings die for you, love you unconditionally, write psalms and love letters to you, intercede for you, never leave you or forsake you, conquer all for you, defeat all evil for you, and building a mansion for you where you will be with Him forever.

He's a Warrior.... and a Prince.