Lilies Among Thorns is a three-part study for you to work on individually. The purpose is to focus on "His Place in Your Life," "His Protection for Your Life," and "His Promise."

Let's consider again those lilies we looked at in Part One of our study "Lilies Among Thorns." We saw that their magnificent beauty came from neither toiling nor spinning, but rather by allowing the heavenly Father to do His work through them.

Then we compared ourselves with those lilies, seeing how the cares, affairs, and treasures of this world can interfere with our spiritual development process.

Part 2 now focuses on how God protects us, loves us, and cares for us in spite of the thorns and thistles that come against us.

• They tear at our skin
• They poke us in the sides
• They scab over and then bleed again

Alan Redpath said, "Sometimes the most radiant face hides great pressures, and often the man [woman] who is being most blessed by God is being buffeted by the devil." (Blessings Out of Buffetings, ©1965, Fleming H. Revel Company, page 214.) Or maybe sometimes we just cannot see what others are going through because we are so busy concentrating on ourselves.

Let us take a closer look at some of those thorns.

It began back in the lovely Garden of Eden when the transgressor, old Lucifer, himself, came crawling (or rather slithering) in with one thing on his mind. His heart was filled deception and evil and with sly trickery up his slippery sleeve, he grabbed at the chance to offer his sham to our great ancestors, Adam and Eve. Eve fell into his trap, committed her sin, and Adam followed shortly thereafter. The all-knowing God saw it all and had to rebuke it before it got out of hand. So He did.

"Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

"And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it , lest ye die.

"And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
Genesis 3:1-5 KJV

After Eve listened to the enemy, and bit off more than she could chew, she gave her hubby the opportunity to take a bite of the deceptive fruit, which as we read, he did. They both immediately knew that what they had done would bring damaging consequences, however, by that time old "Lu" had done his dirty work.

When God came looking for them (He knew where they were), they admitted their wrongdoing. But as they confessed, they began blaming each other for the evil that was done (the "finger-pointing - not my fault" strategy). God had to make some changes in His overall plan for the ages. He cursed the serpent above all other beasts of the field then gave us our first Messianic Prophecy.

Speaking to the serpent, He said:
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
Genesis 3:15 KJV

Lifestyle changes must occur in the life of a woman as well, because Eve fell for the wiles of the enemy first.

"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee".
Genesis 3:16 KJV

God was not finished yet. After all, Adam also crunched into that fruit and then lied about it didn't he. God had a few words for him as well.

"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herbs of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
Genesis 3:16 KJV

Thus was God's invention of the thorns. Adam and Eve had to recognize them just as we must recognize them today, because they are so painfully real. Adam and Eve's tranquil garden that was once a paradise went from being that perfect balance of peace, calm and relaxation to an environment, which caused never-ending scratches, and constant turmoil and pain of one thing or another.

Adam had to work the rough ground from the wee hours of the morning, through the heat of day, and was probably half-starved by suppertime. Eve had to submit to her man and have pain in childbirth From dawn until dusk, life became a real pain for the first family.

The second time we see the word thorns mentioned is in the Song of Solomon. Both Lilies and thorns are brought up in the second chapter, which began with a humble comment made by a young Shulamite maiden from the area of Galilee where the early church had its home.

In verse 1 of chapter 2 she said:
"...I am only a little rose or autumn crocus of the plain of Sharon, or a humble lily of the valleys [that grows in deep and difficult places]"
Song of Solomon 2:1 AMP

1. This Shulamite maiden represents the CHURCH (the body of Christ, you and me).
2. This Shulamite maiden is a young virgin bride (or lily) living in thorny places, waiting for her beloved shepherd to come and take her to his home. (The Rapture)
3. The beloved Shepherd represents Jesus Christ, the bridegroom, the Savior of the church and the world.

In verse 2 the shepherd responds by saying:
"As the lily among thorns (or trials), so is my love among the daughters."
Song of Solomon 2:2 KJV

Christ, the beloved Shepherd, is making the Shulamite maiden aware that no matter what kind of environment she must live in his love is always there for her, just as he is always there for us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

"...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
Hebrews 13:5b KJV

Adam, Eve, and the Shulamite maiden (meaning you and me as the church body) were not the only ones subjected to thorns.

In Matthew 27:29, we are reminded of the painful crown of thorns placed upon Jesus as he was lifted up on the cross to bear the sins of us all. Thus was the fulfillment of that first prophecy made by God back in the Garden of Eden. When Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead he kicked old "Lu" to kingdom come. The enemy may try to play around, but he can no longer have victory over humanity.

"Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him." Matthew 27:27-30 KJV

• The trial of LIFE surrounded Christ to the end (but He rose again)
• The Trials of pain, buffeting, pressure and various adversities will continue to surround us, as individuals accomplishing their purpose in our lives.

Old Brother Job went through trials. He said:
But he knoweth the way that I take when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
Job 23:10 KJV

Our Lord Jesus said:
These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33 KJV

King David wrote:
Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word
Psalm 119:67 KJV

In Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth we read:
For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory
II Corinthians 4:17 KJV

But nothing we go through is too difficult for him. And because of him, there is nothing to difficult for you and me.
   - cancer
   - cystic fibrosis
   - ulcers
   - blindness
   - kidney ailments
   - cerebral palsy
   - seizure disorders
   - loss of loved ones
   - uncontrollable obesity
   - etc
   - etc
   - etc
He proves all things and gives us greater endurance through all the thorny trials of our lives. Moreover, because Jesus never fails us, we can have victory in any adversity we must face. The experiences we go through teach us lessons that we can in turn use to help others when they are in the midst of their agonizing thorns.

Thorns are mentioned a fourth time in scripture in the book of II Corinthians with Paul the Apostle.

"And lest I should be exalted above measure... there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the message of Satan to buffet me... For this I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."
II Corinthians 12:7-10 KJV

Over the years, Paul prayed three times for the removal of his "thorn." God provided ample or sufficient grace instead. It looks to me as if Paul had to carry his thorn for the rest of his life. Was he disappointed? I do not think so. The thorn was to test his reaction to pressures and pain. The thorn in his flesh (whatever it was) kept him humble for the ministry God placed him in.

Paul's thorn, your thorn(s), my thorn(s) help us consider the crown of thorns that were placed upon Jesus Christ at his death. When the blood dripped down, he was suffering. He was suffering for you and for me. When he died, he took all our burdens, grief, and pain with him. He took all our sins with him. He was the ultimate sacrifice!

We know God will protect us and always love us and care for us regardless of the thorns in our lives. If he chooses not to remove the stinging barbs and bristling prickles as quickly as we would like, or ever, shouldn't we accept them as Paul did and move on with our lives in Him? (I keep trying to tell myself that.)

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