Thankful for the Lilly of the Valley

As we get started this morning I want to clarify something I revealed Wednesday night:

Pastors make mistakes.

We try not to do so, but it happens.

On Wednesday I mentioned a Christian nationalist rally that was held at John Hagee’s church in San Antonio, TX.

The thing I was most concerned about was the crowd chanting, “Let’s go Brandon!” which is a substitute saying that uses the “f” word concerning President Biden. I’ll let you look it up and figure it out.

Since that time the LEAD pastor of the church, which is Hagee’s son (John Hagee is the SENIOR pastor) has apologized for hosting the rally and said that, in the future, the church would only host events that align with its mission.

One of the reasons I bring that up is that Saturday morning I was listening to a radio commentary disparaging the evangelical church.

The evangelical church believes and teaches salvation through Jesus alone.

We are an evangelical church.

Unfortunately what happened in Hagee’s church gave those who despise the evangelical church ammunition to criticize those who believe in the Bible and its teachings on salvation, on the necessity of being born again.

To paint all evangelical churches as groups of haters, conspiracy theorists, white supremacists, etc.

I believe there is a concerted effort by the enemy, the devil, the silence churches that proclaim Jesus Christ.

But in the Name of Jesus we will continue to proclaim the truth of salvation in Jesus alone.

And we will be thankful for that salvation.

Even in tough times.

Since the beginning of November I have been asking us as:

To not only IN everything ...

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NASB95

18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

But to also FOR ALL things ...

Ephesians 5:20 NASB95

20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

So, IN the tough places to which God has called us in 2020 and 2021, valleys we would NEVER have chosen, let us also, through the help of the Holy Spirit give thanks FOR those tough places.

Because it is IN those tough places we have moved closer to God — closer to Jesus.

So, Lord Jesus, help me to give thanks to You FOR the valleys.

Help me to remember that I CAN give thanks FOR the valleys because YOU have been right there with me.

In fact, you have been the Lily of the Valley. We hear in:

Song of Solomon 2:1–4 NASB95

1 “I am the rose of Sharon, The lily of the valleys.” 2 “Like a lily among the thorns, So is my darling among the maidens.” 3 “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the young men. In his shade I took great delight and sat down, And his fruit was sweet to my taste. 4 “He has brought me to his banquet hall, And his banner over me is love.

A Right Understanding

As we read these verses we need to understand who is saying what:

There are 2 main characters in the Song of Solomon:

the Bridegroom which is a type of Jesus

the Shulamite bride which is a type of the church

The statements we read here in our text are those of the Shunamite woman, the bride of Solomon.

As such, I don’t see how anyone can stretch these verses within their context and come up with Jesus saying HE is the lily of the valley, the rose of the plain of Sharon as I have read some commentators do.

And this is the only place we read these comparisons: Lily of the valley and Rose of Sharon

I have to say that when I first looked at these verses I struggled with how we could understand Jesus to be the Lily of the Valley and the Sweet Rose of Sharon.

Those are the things that the Bride is.

That the church is SUPPOSED TO BE.

We, the church and individual believers in and followers of Jesus

Are called to be pure white like the lily in our holiness even as we live in the valley of sin and depravity.

We are called to be humble, because even though there are lilies that bloom from tall stems that tower above other flowers, yet they hang their heads in humility.

We are called to yield the scent of life, the life found in Jesus, even as lilies give forth a fragrant perfume of sweetness.

We are called to be Christlike amongst the evil people of this world even as verse 2 speaks of the Bride being a lily among thorns.

But how can we be any of this in our own efforts?

We can’t.

Just as Jesus directly says to us in:

Matthew 5:14–16 NASB95

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

He tells us HOW we can be lights in the world:

By reflecting His light.

Just as Jesus said what He did in Matthew 5:14-16 He also says in:

John 8:12 NASB95

12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

The scriptures tell us of Jesus:

John 1:4–5 NASB95

4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

So, whereas we are to be lilies and roses in a dark, apocalyptic, valley of death — we can only do that because Jesus modeled it for us.

We are to be what He IS.

He is Our Lily of the Valley

So as we reflect on who Jesus is in this valley in which we walk, we give thanks that He is our source.

Only through the ministry of the Holy Spirit can we give witness to what He is as He walks before us and with us through the valley.

As our Lily of the Valley He is:

Abundantly available even though Jesus is that Single Lily.

Not lilies of the valley, Lily of the valley

Jesus is that singular Person who goes with us through the deepest darkest times — thank you Jesus!

He is that “Significant” Lily for which there is no substitute

A Powerful Lily who is Therapeutically Tested:

I was kind of amazed at the medicinal properties of the lily.

That when crushed the lily is able to be used in a variety of medical ways — and has been for millennia.

The lily can be used as a remedy for the heart

Isn’t kind of obvious that when we walk through the valley our hearts feel bruised and broken — but Jesus, the Lily of the Valley is the medicine that can heal the wounded heart.

Thank you Jesus for healing my broken heart!

For bringing healing in the difficult trying valley.

As an ointment that aids in the healing of burns and the prevention of ugly scar tissue.

When I feel like I have been burned by tragedy and trial, I can be thankful for the healing that Jesus, the Lily of the Valley brings.

He not only heals my burns, but He keeps me from being scarred by my hurts.

Instead of living a scarred life that refuses to be open to love, to beauty, to goodness, Jesus helps me open up to these things and more.

Jesus is that often Unseen fragrance that gives us hope in the valley — sweet, strong and savory.

Sometimes when we walk through the valley, the darkness can obscure the presence of Jesus walking with me.

Ah, but I can smell, the sweetness of His presence and be comforted.

The essential oil of the Lily delivers us:

Us from the depths of depression

The Lilly of the Valley, Jesus, lifts me from discouragement and depression.

In the valley these things try to attach themselves to me and drag me down into despair — but Jesus, the Lily of the Valley lifts me up above them.

Mental Clarity

Jesus, the Lily of the Valley, doesn’t cloud my understanding, He opens it.

I can see the truth

Jesus is taking me through the valley to destroy me, but to make me stronger.

Not because He hates me, but because He loves me and the valley will help me lean on Him more fully.

Jesus helps me see the valley in a different light, from a different perspective.

As a medicine The Lily also:

Restores the lost voice

These are days that need a voice to be heard, loud and strong and Jesus, the Lily of the Valley is that medicine that will open silent lips with a bolld proclamation of the salvation that comes through what Jesus did on the Cross, what He does with His Blood, what He does because He defeated death in thee resurrection.

And when I feel weak in the Valley, Jesus, the Lily of the Valley is that medicine that restores from faintness.

He gives me the strength to go through the valley.

Isaiah 40:31 AV

31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Thank God for THE Lily of the Valley!

He is all I need to get through this difficult time.

All I need!

The Lily Personally Proven

Have you experienced THE Lily of the Valley so that you can become a lily in your valley?

Are you leaning on Him and Him alone?

If not, can I urge you to turn to Him today?

Repent of your sins and surrender to Him.

If it has grown cold or even just lukewarm, renew your relationship with Jesus.

If you HAVE experienced Jesus as your Lily of the Valley then you can be thankful:

Chuck Colson in 2005, describing radical gratitude. He said:

The notion of gratitude is hot these days. Search the Internet, and you'll find more than a million sites about thankfulness.

For example, university psychologists recently conducted a research project on gratitude and thanksgiving. They divided participants into three groups.

People in the first group practiced daily exercises like writing in a gratitude journal. They reported higher levels of alertness, determination, optimism, energy, and less depression and stress than the control group.

Unsurprisingly, they were also a lot happier than the participants who were told to keep an account of all the bad things that happened each day.

One of the psychologists concluded that though a practice of gratitude is a key to most religions, its benefits extend to the general population, regardless of faith or no faith.

He suggested that anyone can increase his sense of well-being just from counting his blessings.

As my colleague Ellen Vaughn writes in her new book, RADICAL GRATITUDE, no one is going to disagree that gratitude is a virtue.

But, Ellen says, counting our blessings and conjuring an attitude of to-whom-it-may-concern gratitude, Pollyanna-style is not enough.

What do we do when cancer strikes -- I have two children battling it right now

-- or when loved ones die, when we find ourselves in the midst of brokenness and real suffering?

That, she says, is where gratitude gets radical.

While they often mingle together in the life of a follower of Christ, there are actually two types of thankfulness.

One is secondary, the other primary.

The secondary sort is thankfulness for blessings received.

Life, health, home, family, freedom, a tall, cold lemonade on a summer day -- it's a mindset of active appreciation for all good gifts.

The great preacher and once president of Princeton University, Jonathan Edwards, called thanks for such blessings "natural gratitude."

It's a good thing, but this gratitude doesn't come naturally -- if at all -- when things go badly.

It can't buoy us in difficult times.

Nor, by itself, does it truly please God.

And, to paraphrase Jesus, even pagans can give thanks when things are going well.

Edwards calls the deeper, primary form of thankfulness "gracious gratitude."

It gives thanks NOT for goods received, but for who God is:

for His character -- His goodness, love, power, excellencies -- regardless of favors received.

And it's real evidence of the Holy Spirit working in a person's life.

This gracious gratitude for who God is also goes to the heart of who we are in Christ.

It is relational, rather than conditional.

Though our world may shatter, we are secure in Him.

We can have peace in times of pain.

The fount of our joy, the love of the God who made us and saved us, cannot be quenched by any power that exists (Romans 8:28-39).

People who are filled with such radical gratitude are unstoppable, irrepressible, overflowing with what C.S. Lewis called "the good infection" -- the supernatural, refreshing love of God that draws others to Him.