When I was a kid, I loved to sing. In fact, it was usually the first thing I did on every summer morning. I would wake up by 6:00 a.m. and be outside on our swing singing at the top of my voice. This continued until one of the neighbors spoke to my mom. I guess she preferred her alarm clock to hearing me.
One of the songs I remember belting out was, “Everybody ought to know, who Jesus is. He’s the lily of the valley, He’s the bright and morning star, He’s the fairest of ten thousands. Everybody ought to know.”
As an adult, I have come to realize that not everything we hear and come to believe as children is accurate. Though Jesus is often called the Lily of the Valley in songs, this is not a name Jesus uses for Himself in Scripture.
I am the Rose of Sharon, and the Lily of the Valleys. Song of Solomon 2:1
These words in Song of Solomon may sound as if they are an “I am” statement about Christ, but they are actually the words spoken by the Beloved. The Beloved is a picture of the church that is the bride of Christ.
A lily is a beautiful and delicate flower with a strong, lovely fragrance. As believers within His church, we are the bride of Christ, clothed in His righteousness and filled with the lovely fragrance of Jesus. Yet, just as the lily’s stem is weak and often must be staked so it does not break, so the Church needs to be established by the strength of her Savior.
We often desire for Jesus to be something other than who He says He is. We want to make Him easier to except. We want a gentle and kind Jesus. We like the Jesus who called the little children to Himself, but not the one who turned over the money changers’ tables, driving out those buying and selling from the Temple. Whenever we make Jesus out to be something He is not, we have created for ourselves a false god.
Grow in your knowledge of the only true God by spending time reading the Bible and communicating with Him in prayer. Worship Jesus today—not the Jesus who you might desire, but who He actually says He is.
Love, Cheryl
