Feb 14 – LILY !

“Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters” (Song of Solomon 2: 2).

Lily is so very unique and special among thousands of flowers. Normally the fragrance of a flower could be felt at a distance of about ten or twenty feet. But the fragrance of Lilies, pricked by the thorns, could reach many miles with the wind.

There was a believer who was employed in a good job overseas, where practicing Christian faith was prohibited. He was leading a secret prayer group. The government found out about this secret prayer group, arrested him and put him behind the bars, where he had to undergo many trials and tortures. In those times, that brother started relying more and more on the Lord and prayed more fervently than in the previous times.

As he prayed, his prison cell was overflowing with the presence of the Lord. His face started to glow whenever he was filled with the spirit of God and spoke in tongues, in the presence of God. The aroma of his prayer life also reached the cruel prison authorities. Due to divine intervention, even the government came forward to take up his case for an early release. And when he was finally released, he came back a thousand times stronger than before as a Believer, and like a sparkling diamond and shining gold for the Lord.

Although there are various categories of flowers, the Lord divided them basically into two types: Flowers that blossom in the day like roses, and flowers that blossom in the night, like lilies. Similarly, the disciples of Jesus could also be put into two groups. First, is the group that follows Him openly – in the daylight. And the other group, is the one that follows Him secretly – in the night time.

All the twelve disciples, chosen by the Lord were following Him in broad daylight, and were like the roses with a strong aroma. There were also the secret believers, like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who had the aroma like the lilies.

Even today the Church of God, operates at two levels. One is the open church that is known to all. The other is the hidden or secret church, that operates even amidst various religious and political prohibitions, like in some of the communist nations. Irrespective of the type of church that you belong to, what is important is whether you give out a sweet-smelling aroma like the lilies, for the Lord. Children of God, you should give out a sweet aroma for the Lord, both in your exposed life and in the life that is hidden from others.

Verse for further meditation: “The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell.Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!” (Song of Solomon 2: 13).