What do lilacs smell like, anyway?
This morning at church, the Lord led our pastor to pray for those who need a healing touch. One lady he approached said that her heart hurt. He assured her that Jesus loved to bind up the broken-hearted. He began to pray and stopped. “Are you wearing perfume?”
What a strange question to ask a woman who needs prayer!
She shook her head in the negative. He took a deep breath and smiled. “I smell lilacs all over you.” He turned to the women in the nearby pew. “Do you smell that?” A couple of them nodded.
Back to the woman he was praying for. “Do you smell that?” She nodded. Even just looking at the back of her head, I knew she was touched. Pastor chuckled and told her, “The Lord is doing something special for you.”
I’ve heard of manifestations of the Holy Spirit where you could smell something lovely in the atmosphere. It has been prophesied over Ted and I that such a heavenly scent, like the Rose of Sharon, would come during times of our ministry. It was somehow very special to me to witness this manifestation in my own presence for the first time, even if I wasn’t close enough to smell it myself.
Someday!
P.S. It still tickles me that my God is so multi-faceted. So layered with humor and affection. So attentive to details. He delights us and warns us with visions, comforts us with warmth, shakes us out of our traditions, and even fills the nostrils of His people with the rich fragrance of His love. How great is our God!