FInding the Good in the Valley You Are Going Through.

The ‘Lily of the Valley’, ‘The Lily in the Valley’, and ‘The Lily in MY Valley’

Barbara Henderson

Have you heard the songs, ‘The Lily of the Valley’ and ‘I Found the Lily in My Valley’?  The Lily of the Valley’ was my favorite song when I was little.  We attended ‘Bible Baptist Church’ in Anchorage, Alaska.  Although we were supposed to be quiet except when singing, we actually got shout ‘Hallelujah’ while singing the ‘Lily of the Valley’.  The song is also very fast paced, which children love: and it tells a story.  I love songs that tell stories. ‘ Amazing Grace’ of course tells the most amazing story of all time and creation, but ‘The Lily of the Valley’ tells part of the same story in a wonderful way.

The ‘Lily of the Valley’ is a classic hymn praising Jesus for his wonderful blessings to the children of men.  It is a happy song praising God. (lyrics and link to music at the end of the article)

Then there is the newer song ‘I Found a Lily in My Valley’.  It is the story of man who had hit bottom as we say here in the USA. It means his life was at a low point and that he had given up. Then he found Jesus.  (lyrics and link to music at the end of the article)

Both of these songs preach Jesus Christ – who is the Lily of the Valley.  I suppose the song that goes with the real Jesus is ‘Jesus – the One and Only’.  There is only one Jesus Christ.  There are a lot of false saviors, but only one who is actually Jesus Christ – the only begotten Son of God.  I know  that is off topic for this article, but it does seem more and more necessary to clarify that you worship the God of the Bible, and that you don’t worship a so-called ‘Jesus’ that people make up to suit their own idea of what exactly the want in a Jesus.  See my next article on ‘Identifying Jesus’.   But – here is the song ‘Jesus – the One and Only’ so you can listen to the music now.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCSVNSi-UzY

Since my diagnosis with cancer, I have been clinging to the Rock of Ages, who is The Lily of the Valley.  Since I have been saved for many years now, I may sometimes take Jesus for granite, but Cancer is a wake up call.  I started taking Jesus quite seriously. I would already be in the lunatic asylum without Him.  So, while I personally know the Lily of the Valley, I am looking for a lily in my valley.  What good things are going on in my life even though I have a very serious illness?  I am looking for lilies of goodness as I go through this trial.

Many of the things going on in my valley are the same good things that were going on before I was diagnosed. 

I suppose the obvious blessing or ‘lily in my valley’ is that I was diagnosed while there is still hope of being cured.  I mean, one day I had a stomach ache, and the next day I am fighting for my life.  However, what if I had not been diagnosed?  I would still have a stomach ache and have no idea that I was dying.  That is like being lost isn’t it?  People who don’t know Jesus may be just like people who don’t know they have cancer.  They are still dying.  So it is a wonderful blessing to find out you are sick because knowing you are sick is the first step in being cured.  It is the same with being saved.  First you have to know you are lost before you can fix the problem.  So the first lily in my valley was to find out I was sick in the first place.  Thank you Jesus for letting me know I was even sick to begin with. 

The next lily in my valley was to find out how many people care enough to pray for me.  I know everyone is busy busy busy.  That seems to be the world that we live in now.  So taking time from their world to pray for me is wonderful news.  I do pray for others.  I am really good at short sincere prayers.  God doesn’t need a long wordy  prayer.  A simple God bless this person or this situation when prayed sincerely is all it takes to have actually prayed for someone.  I do thank God more and more that short prayers are just as good as long prayers!

It is also a great lily in my valley to reflect on the daily benefits from God that don’t change regardless of the state of my health.  God is still in control.  Heaven is still my eternal home.  Despite the ‘save the earth’ crowd, the earth already has Jesus Christ as its Savior.  None of Christ’s promises are null and void because of dire circumstances.  None of His plans for a new heaven and a new earth have changed.  His power has not diminished.  His call to sinners to repentance has not dimmed.  His power to save is the same.  His love of people has not changed.  Psalm 68:19 says, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.’  Take time to reflect on God’s daily benefits.  Whether your life is going along perfectly or you are trying to get over one of those dreadful bump (or mountains) in the road, take time to consider God’s daily benefits.  Give thanks for the things that do not change regardless of your circumstances.

Another lily in my valley is to see how my family has rallied around me.  They are all praying for me, asking their friends and church family to pray for me, and just helping me with everything without complaining at all.  Life long friends and newer friends have made a special effort to let me know they are praying for me as well.  People from Prophezine.com – people I have never met in person – have let me know they do care about me and are praying for me.  This is a comfort for which I am very thankful,

Another lily in my valley is to be the one sick instead of watching a loved one go through this.  When I thought Jerry had cancer early this year I almost fell apart.  God held me together, but it was rough.  And that was just when I thought he might have cancer.  Thank God it was a false alarm.  Recently Jerry said, ‘I wish I was the one sick’. I said, ‘Not me!  When I just thought you might be sick it was awful!’ So that is a blessing.  Also, Jerry is the one with the insurance.  I know people get through cancer treatment without insurance, but I know it is very hard.  So, it is definitely a lily in my valley to have insurance.  Please pray for Jerry.  He is seventy years old and it is getting harder for him to put in those ten hour days.  Also, he needs to work 3 more years until I am able to get on medicare.  He needs prayers that he will be strengthened and encouraged.  We have to leave that in the Lord’s hand.  But, he is working and not complaining about any of it.  But he is just so tired. I Thank God for him.  By the way – today is our 43’d anniversary. (August 20)  I can’t even believe that I am 43, much less that I have been married 43 years.

There are light hearted blessings as well. I practically never have to do dishes.  When I cook I cook enough for several meals.  That makes for less kitchen clean up.  And, it seems like every one is fine with eating warmed up food.  If it was good in the first place it is going to be good in the second place.  When I recover I expect our new ‘I love left-overs’ mentality will remain with us. 

Many of you know that my daughter and I raise Siberian Forest Cats.  They are amazing creatures, and we love them.  We have kittens now which are a wonderful comfort and blessing.  I can’t tell you how nice it I to have kittens just hopping into my lap all day long.  They want some attention and I want to pet a kitten.  I also have to feed them, but it is even fun to watch them learning to eat by themselves.  They are definitely a blessing.  My Grandsons do litter box duty almost every day. 

Another lily in my valley is anti-nausea medicine.  It works very well, and there has been very little stomach upset with the chemo.

Another lily in my valley is the shots they give you in the stomach to keep your immune system working  I haven’t really been sick at all.  Cancer is hard enough to fight without adding colds and flu to the problem. 

As I have mentioned before, I am positive there are many more illnesses or life events that are worse than or equally awful than cancer.  God gives us what He knows will fulfill His purpose and plan as well as be of some benefit to us.

If you already know real Lily of the Valley – which is Jesus Christ – thank God that you already have your eternity settled.  Remember that you can’t even pass through a rose garden without encountering thorns.  Sometimes it seems like you are in thorn patch.  I have actually been through a thorn garden so to speak when trying to catch my black and tan hound  many years ago. He was an amazing fellow, but calling him in from the hunt when he was on the trail of a deer was close to impossible.  I did chase him into a thorn patch once, and I honestly thought I might need a blood transfusion before I got out of there.  After that I told my dog Rebel that he could just sleep in the cold before I would chase after him again.  I also stopped buttering his biscuits!  (Silly dog – he wouldn’t eat his biscuits unless I buttered them first.  He was a bawl mouth hound – meaning he had the long bark instead of the short bark.  I did love that dog.  And I never did stop buttering his biscuits.  I knew the dog needed to come when I called him.  He disagreed.  He got hit by a car when he was age seven.  I still miss him)  Anyway – back to the subject,  whatever is going on in your life right now, now is the time to begin looking for the lily in your valley, meaning the blessings of God in the middle of everyday life.

God bless you.

The Lily of the Valley  OR I Found a Friend in Jesus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgkoGXOJzcE  Shout halleluiah at the end of the verse.

                                         

 I have found a friend in Jesus
He's everything to me
He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul
The Lily of the Valley in Him alone
I see All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole
In sorrow He's my comfort in trouble He's my stay
He tells me every care on Him to roll (hallelujiah)
He's the Lily of the Valley
the Bright and Morning Star
He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul
He's all my grief has taken and all my sorrows borne
In temptation He's my strong and mighty tower
I have all for Him forsaken and all my idols torn From my heart and now He keeps me by His power
In sorrow He's my comfort in trouble He's my stay He tells me every care on Him to roll
He's the Lily of the Valley
the Bright and Morning Star
He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul
He will never, never leave me nor yet forsake me here While I live by faith and do His blessed will A wall of fire about me I've nothing now to fear With His manna He my hungry soul shall fill
In sorrow He's my comfort
in trouble He's my stay
He tells me every care on Him to roll
He's the Lily of the Valley
the Bright and Morning Star
He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul

‘I Found the Lily the Valley’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XWY2K77RyE

All alone and broken hearted
Trying to calm the raging battle in my mind
In the search of many answers
That my troubled soul just couldn't seem to find
I saw a flower blooming
Where there was no rain or sunshine
And I knew not that this flower
Would change the rest of my life

(Chorus)

I found the Lily in my valley
I found strength when I was worn
I found a place to leave my burdens
I found refuge from the storm
A place where I trade my dark skys
To beaming rays of sunshine
I found a lily in my valley
And He blooms all the time

So if you're down and broken hearted
And you just can't seem to find peace of mind
You're searching for your answers
But your problems are getting worse all the time
Just reach your hands to Jesus
He'll take you in and break the ties that bind
He'll be your Lily in your valley
You can watch him bloom all the time

He'll be your Lily in your valley
He'll be strength when you are worn
He'll be the place to leave you burdens
He'll give you refuge from the storm
A place where you trade your dark skys
To beaming rays of sunshine
He'll be your Lily in your valley
And He'll bloom all the time

I found the Lily in my valley
I found strength when I was worn
I found a place to leave my burdens
He gave me refuge from the storm
A place where I trade my dark skys
To beaming rays of sunshine
I found the lily in my valley
And He blooms all the time
Yes He's the Lily of my valley
And He blooms all the time