From the missionary blog of President Gary Judd and Sister Julene Judd
“Consider the Lilies” was recorded almost twenty years ago by The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. I loved it immediately. The message of gratitude and faith and trusting in God resonated with me, even though I couldn’t actually imagine a flower like that growing wild in the middle of a field somewhere.
I remember the first time I listened to this song after arriving in Africa. We were driving at the end of a long day in some of the most densely populated and humble areas of our mission. My heart felt heavy as my mind tried to reconcile the circumstances which seemed challenging and unfair for so many of God’s children.
Gary and I wanted to comfort ourselves by listening to some uplifting music but I was struggling to access the playlists I’d created for us. I could only find ONE song that would work. As ‘Consider the Lilies’ began to play we looked at each other and both started to cry. I turned it up loud and we listened to it over and over all the way home.
“Consider the Lilies – The Taberacle Choir at Temple Square
Consider the sweet, tender children
Who must suffer on this earth…
The pains of all of them he carried
From the day of his birth.
He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,
And he will heal those who trust him,
And make their hearts as gold.
Fast forward a few months. We were again driving home from one of the hot and barren areas of our mission, but the rainy season had arrived early, and everything was extraordinarily green. Out the passenger side window I was watching the scenery go by. In the middle of a grassy field something caught my attention.
Lillies. Right there, growing wild in a field. In Africa.
I made Gary pull over and stop. We couldn’t get a clear view of them behind us so he turned the car around and drove back the other way. Still, it wasn’t enough. We circled around again and spotted a place to drive into the field and get a little closer. Another storm was making its way to us and the grass waved and whipped, but everything else felt still and quiet.
Consider the sheep of his fold,
How they follow where he leads.
Though the path may wind across the mountains,
He knows the meadows where they feed.
He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky,
And he will feed those who trust him,
And guide them with his eye.
Current world conflicts remind me that there will always be infuriating unfairness in mortality, but for a few minutes on an African roadside Heavenly Father used all my senses to remind me of His love. I could hear with my ears, see with my eyes, touch and smell a beautiful lily. He gently reminded me that my myopic vision doesn’t limit Him and that because He loves us, He sent His perfect Son to redeem and comfort us in our infirmities and experience. When I don’t understand, that is the time to work on my faith.
Consider the lilies of the field,
How they grow, how they grow.
Consider the birds in the sky,
How they fly, how they fly.
He clothes the lilies of the field.
He feeds the birds in the sky.
And He will feed those who trust Him,
And guide them with His eye.
