"As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters" (S. O. S. 2:2).

The Lord calls us His lilies; we are as He is (S.O.S. 2:1).  He sees our beauty and it ravishes His heart; He delights to be among us, and His nostrils smell a sweetness like no other, even though we are surrounded by thorns (S.O.S. 4:9-11).

The Lord says, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow" (Matt. 6:28).  Let us do that for our encouragement, comfort, growth in grace, and holiness of life.

The lilies in the east grow among thorns in the valleys.  Thorns are very ugly in appearance and always cause pain when they pierce the skin; at times even ripping and tearing it, causing great wounds.

Look at how they pierced the Lord's head, hands, feet, and heart; yet see how lovely, how beautiful he grew.  Never was a lily adorned like our Lord.  He grew to be so beautiful because He used the pain of the thorns to bring out the beauty that was within Him for all to see - the perfection and glory of God.

He was called the "Lily of the Valley" because He manifested the nature of a lily; He was self-propagating.  (The root of the lily often produces fifty bulbs.)  Oh, what a Lily our Lord is!  He has produced an innumerable number of lilies to the glory of God.

The bulbs of lilies have to be cut into, ripped apart, uprooted, and laid aside for awhile to propagate them until the time of planting comes. 

God has placed us among the thorns of this world as the Lord was.  May we not fight against His working lest we return to our natural state and produce only thorns and thistles. Let us take heed to Luther's words.  "If you are the lily and the rose of Christ, know that your dwelling place is among thorns.  Only take heed lest by impatience, rash judgments, and pride, you yourself become a thorn."

Sometimes the Lord picks His lilies when they are in full bloom, still very young (S.O.S. 6:2).  Other times He leaves them until they are very old and withered; but even then they are very useful and beautiful in His sight.  (The white lily plant was used as fuel when it was withered, and may still be.)

Let us be fuel to warm those around us, and sweeten their lives with the fragrance of Christ.  Let us burn joyfully!!!  We will, we can, because our master Gardener has said, "He shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon" (Hos. 14:5).   Make it so Lord, even now, for the glory of your