Don’t Forget The Flowers
We have just celebrated that special time called Valentine’s Day. Beginning around 496 AD, this celebration of love has become synonymous with the giving of flowers. There are so many stories that come from a day like this.
Like the husband who was driving home from work and realized that he had forgotten to buy his wife flowers. He hurriedly stopped off by a grocery store and found a cluster of dark blue flowers. Spotting the keyword: Love on the attached card, he scooped them up and made his way home. When presenting them to his wife, he noticed something strange on her expression. When she showed him the card, he realized his mistake. Those dark blue flowers were a cemetery arrangement with the card reading: “In Loving Memory”!
In Biblical times, flowers were used extensively for their fragrance and medicinal value. In other words, flowers were much more useful than just an expression of emotion or a pretty decoration.
Where Are The Flowers?
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
Song of Solomon 2:1-2
Sharon was a fertile plain but it was largely uninhabited except by cattle and sheep. It’s interesting that the word for rose here comes from a Hebrew term that only appears twice in the Bible. The other occurrence is found in Isaiah.
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
Isaiah 35:1
Do you find yourself in this lonely place where you cannot seem to hear God’s voice? Do you reach out to feel his hand and instead feel the sting of the thorns? I want to draw your attention to the messages of love that He has planted all around you.
For Your Healing
God’s flowers are much more than pretty ornaments to be placed on the shelf. They are meant for your healing! In Biblical times, the lily was used to restore a lost voice and to help with faintness. Have you lost your song or your praise? It is God’s will for you lay hold on the lily in the valley and restore your voice for the kingdom of God!
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
Psalm 51:7
The priests would use hyssop in the ceremonial cleansing of lepers. The hyssop flowers and leaves were also boiled to produce a liquid medicine. The medicine was used to reduce spasms and relieve a cough. It was also an expectorant for the lungs and respiratory tract. Furthermore, it was used to fight off harmful bacteria. But be forewarned, this liquid is very bitter. The psalmist David knew that even the most bitter aspects of his life would work for his good if He allowed the Lord to purge him through it.
For Your Testimony
As you pass through the lonely place, it’s never God’s will for you to come away empty handed. These flowers are not only for your benefit, but for a testimony that can strengthen your brothers and sisters who are also struggling.
There was a pastor who had a dear saint in his congregation. She was in terrible health and had just lost her husband after a long battle with cancer. One Sunday, as she came through the door, he told her that he was praying for her. Her response surprised him. “Pastor, can I ask how you are praying for me?” He stammered and mumbled something like, Well, that God will be with you and help you…etc. She smiled back and said, “Could you do something else? Pray that I will know what to do with all of the wonderful lessons that the Lord is teaching me.”
We hear bad news everyday. Please don’t share funeral flowers about your trial. Like that precious lady, ask the Lord to help you in sharing all of the wonderful things that He is teaching you through your trial. Those around you need to hear about the hope that is only found in Jesus Christ! So keep walking through the lonely place with all of it’s thorns. But most importantly, don’t forget the flowers!