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My beloved went down to his garden,
To the beds of the spice,
To delight himself in the gardens,
and to gather lilies.

Song of Songs 6:2 YLT

When the Lord comes into His gardens (yes, He has many) we see Him engaged in two activities.

We have seen in the Song of Songs that the Lord’s gardens are the inner lives of those who have given themselves to Him. A few weeks ago we observed that the maiden in the Song gave her garden to Him to do with as He pleased.

Tending

The way I see this, is that the Lord comes to us (so glad He makes house calls) and ministers to us in our (well His) garden, our secret place. He comes to His garden to tend to it. That ministry looks a lot like a shepherd’s care. He feeds us, cleans us, keeps us near the good drinking water. In danger, He is present with His rod and staff to protect. In our moments of folly (oh yes we do) He is present with His rod and staff to correct and collect us.

Gathering

If you remember the Shepherd King called His maiden the lily of the valley and again a lily among thorns. And so He gather’s the lilies. Part of His care for us is to join us to the gathering of lilies – a.k.a. the church – His body. I challenge you with this idea. Next time you walk into your church gathering (whether you meet in a living room or in a cathedral) take a look around and see if you can see the beauty of a field of lilies.

Here in the North East US it is lily season. I love to walk past a garden with a pack of Tiger Lilies reaching up toward the sun. Or flocks of that shorter variety that look like a parade of trumpeters announcing the coming of their king.

Jesus, our Great Shepherd delights to shepherd us and gather us. His heart is toward His gardens, their cultivation and care. Do you share His heart for His people?

Lord, help me to appreciate the others You have gathered. Will You share Your heart for them with me. Can You help me see them as You do?

Thanks for stopping by today.

Don’t forget to shine.

Ben