Consider the Lilies

What ‘Considering the Lilies’ Teach Us About Trusting God

How the phrase “Consider the Lilies” in Luke 12 teaches us to replace anxiety with trust as we learn how flowers reveal God’s faithful care.

In Luke 12:22–34, Jesus said, “Consider the lilies.”

There is something wonderfully peaceful about walking through a field of wildflowers.

Yesterday, I wandered to the edge of my yard and picked a small bouquet growing there. Nothing had been planted. No one watered them. No one carefully cultivated them. Yet there they were, blooming in quiet beauty as if they had no care in the world.

As I held those flowers in my hands, I couldn’t help but think about Jesus’ words in Luke 12.

He invited His listeners to do something surprisingly simple.

“Consider the lilies”

Not admire them from a distance.

Not rush past them.

Not simply notice them.

He said to consider them.

That word means to observe carefully, to think deeply, and to learn from what you see.

Suddenly those little wildflowers in my hand became a living object lesson.

Perhaps you’ve been carrying a heavy burden lately. Maybe anxiety has quietly settled into your heart. It may be concern over your children, your marriage, your finances, your health, or simply wondering what tomorrow holds.

Jesus knew His followers would struggle with those very same fears.

That is why He pointed them toward flowers.

Jesus Spoke These Words on a Hillside

When we picture the “lilies of the field,” many of us imagine tall white Easter lilies standing in neat flower beds.

That probably wasn’t what Jesus’ audience saw.

Most Bible scholars believe the flowers growing across the hillsides surrounding the Sea of Galilee were vibrant wildflowers—especially scarlet poppies and brilliant crown anemones.

In the spring, these flowers transformed the hills into waves of brilliant reds, oranges, purples, blues, and whites.

Imagine sitting on a grassy hillside while Jesus taught.

The warm breeze drifted across the countryside.

Birds flew overhead.

The Sea of Galilee shimmered below.

Everywhere people looked, colorful wildflowers danced in the wind.

Jesus didn’t have to create an illustration.

Creation already was one.

Pointing toward those blossoms, He said, ‘Consider the lilies.”

“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?”
Luke 12:27–28 (NKJV)

The lesson was impossible to miss.

If God lovingly dressed flowers that would bloom for only a short season…

How much more would He faithfully care for His own children?

Anxiety Is Not a New Struggle

Sometimes we think anxiety is a modern problem.

We blame smartphones.

Social media.

Busy calendars.

Twenty-four-hour news.

While those certainly contribute, anxious hearts have existed since the beginning of time.

The people gathered around Jesus worried about food.

They worried about clothing.

They worried about providing for their families.

They worried about tomorrow.

Sound familiar?

Our worries may have different names, but they spring from the same place.

“What if things don’t work out?”

“What if I don’t have enough?”

“What if someone I love gets hurt?”

“What if everything falls apart?”

Jesus understood every one of those questions.

Yet instead of giving His listeners a list of techniques for managing stress, He invited them to look at flowers.

That seems almost too simple.

Until we slow down long enough to understand why.

Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,  but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away.  For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits. James 1:9-11

Flowers Never Strive

Flowers don’t wake up each morning wondering whether they’ll be beautiful enough.

They don’t compare themselves to the blossoms growing nearby.

They don’t anxiously compete for God’s attention.

They simply grow exactly where their Creator planted them.

Every petal.

Every color.

Every detail.

Every bloom.

God designed it all.

The crown anemones blooming across Israel’s hillsides never questioned whether God would clothe them.

The scarlet poppies didn’t wonder if they were valuable.

They simply rested in the care of the One who created them.

Jesus says we are infinitely more valuable than flowers.

Think about that.

The God who designed every delicate petal…

The God who painted every wildflower…

The God who fills entire hillsides with breathtaking beauty…

Is your heavenly Father.

If He notices every blossom, He certainly hasn’t overlooked you.

Consider the Lilies

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Matthew 6:28-30

“Consider” Means More Than Looking

I love that Jesus didn’t say, “Glance at the flowers.”

He said,

Consider them.

There’s a difference.

We rush through life noticing very little.

We hurry from one responsibility to another.

Our minds are filled with to-do lists.

Laundry.

Appointments.

Work.

Family responsibilities.

Emails.

Meals.

The next deadline.

When was the last time you simply stopped long enough to study a flower?

To notice the intricate petals?

The delicate veins?

The beautiful colors?

The way it quietly reflects the creativity of God?

Creation slows us down.

It gently redirects our attention away from our problems and back toward our Creator.

That’s one reason I enjoy Bible journaling with flowers.

As I slowly draw or paint a blossom beside a verse, I find myself paying closer attention—not only to the flower but also to the Scripture.

Both become acts of worship.

Both remind me that God is present.

Both quiet my anxious thoughts.

Perhaps that’s exactly why Jesus chose flowers instead of something grand or complicated.

Every blossom whispers the same message:

“Look at how faithfully God cares for me.”

And if He faithfully cares for flowers…

He will faithfully care for you.