A Small Devotional From Psalm 27

Whilst reading this Psalm on a rainy Wednesday morning at my favorite coffee place, I was struck by a theme of Psalm 27. I noticed that there are mainly two "characters" in this Psalm... God, and the Psalmist. The thing about this chapter that God pointed out to me, and stuck out at me the most was the different roles, or actions, from each 'character'. I think these "roles" say a lot and give good insight about what God's behavior is and attributes are, and also about what our (and the Psalmist's) role and responsibilities are in response to God's behavior. I'd like to outline them here, for your observation. 

These are not polished up in any real way, just note that these are my own observations and interpretations of the Psalm. By all means dig into the chapter yourself and see if you notice the same things!!

God's Behavior:

-He is the Light

-He is my Salvation

-My Defense

-My reason for Confidence

-The Beauty I get to behold

-The One Who conceals me

-The One Who hides me

-The One Who lifts me up

-The One Who commands me to Seek His Face

-My Help

-The One Who takes me up when I am forsaken

-The One who Teaches me His Way

-The One Who Leads me in a Level Path

My (& the Psalmist's) Role in Response:

-I have no reason for fear or dread

-I can be confident in, and as a result of, the LORD

-I can dwell in His House

-I can Seek

-I can behold His beauty

-I can meditate in His temple

-My head is lifted by God

-I am able to offer sacrifices in praise

-I can cry to God

-I am commanded, and empowered, to obey the Lord by seeking

-I can believe that I will see the goodness of God

-I can wait for the LORD

-My heart can take courage

My favorite verses in this chapter //

Psalm 27 : 1 

The LORD is my Light and my Salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?

Psalm 27 : 4

One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD and to meditate in His temple. 

Psalm 27 : 6

And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.

Psalm 27 : 8

When You said, "Seek My face", my heart said to You "Your face, O LORD, I shall seek".

Psalm 27 : 10

For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the LORD will take me up.

Until next time, friends.

-Amaris

Reflections: 2 Chronicles 20 // Stages of Trials

The stages of a trial. 

If you're anything like me, when you're encountered with a trial sometimes it's hard to know where you are in the middle of it, you don't know which way is up anymore, and you get in your head and forget to take it to the LORD to deal with it. I tend to do this thing where I hunker down into autopilot and just get through life waiting for it to be over so I can get on to the blessing stages. 

Well, today I read 2 Chronicles 20, and noticed a very clear and structured look of a trial. I like how the whole chapter shows the entirety of Jehoshaphat's trial with being attacked from beginning to end- making it easy to be read, pondered on, and dissected. 

I will not go into the whole story of this chapter here... for the sake of keeping this post short and chewable, I will encourage the reader to read the chapter for themselves, to study it and to get the context. In this post I only want to discuss the different stages of a trial that I noticed.

Stage 1: Fear... of the trial (Verse 3) 

"Jehoshaphat was afraid." It's the moment when things start getting difficult. You really start to feel the trial itself. It might cause insecurity, anxiety, and fear. The important thing to note is that it's not a sin to be afraid... it only matters what you do with the fear. Which leads me to the next stage. 

Stage 2: Responding... to the trial itself (Verse 3-4)

"[Jehoshaphat] turned his attention to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to seek help from the LORD; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the LORD." What matters is how you RESPOND to the fear. Always respond well by seeking the LORD and giving the trial into His hands... He can't work on something until you give it to Him to work on!! You have to let go of it yourself first. 

Stage 3: Recognizing... the power of God (Verse 6-7) 

"and he said, "O LORD the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You." In the midst of a trial, put God where He belongs... at the top. Recognize that God is the all powerful ruler of everything. Recognize that nothing can stand against Him or His will for you or the earth. 

Stage 4: Remembering... God's past faithfulness (Verse 7)

"Did you not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?" This is probably one of the best bits of advice I can offer to anyone in a trial. Remember what God has already done for you. Remember His past faithfulness. Remember His past goodness, kindness, sovereignty. God has not changed! He has been faithful in the past and He will be faithful now and in the future. Great is His faithfulness.

Stage 5: Believing... that God will be faithful NOW (Verse 9, 12)

"We will... cry to You in our distress, and You will hear us and deliver us...We are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You." Believe that God will get you through this. Believe that He will be faithful just as He has in the past. Believe that you are not alone. Believe that this is not all in vain.

Stage 6: Result / Resolution / Blessing... of God's faithfulness (Verse 24-26)

"When Judah came to the lookout of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and no one had escaped. When [they] came to take their spoil, they found much...including goods, garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were three days taking the spoil because there was so much. Then on the fourth day...they blessed the LORD. Therefore they named that place "The Vally of Beracah (Blessing)". This is the part we all wait for. The other side of the trial! It might look different for everyone depending on the trial, the timeline, and God's plan for it. But the end is worth it- sweet blessing from the Lord. 

Stage 7: Peace... in God's rest (Verse 30)

"So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God gave him rest on all sides." How blessed it is to partake in the peace of God's rest! There is nothing else like it in this life, there is nothing that compares. 

Wherever you are in your walk with the Lord, I hope these stages encourage and inspire you. And remember, God has never let you down, and He never will.

Questions for your heart: 

How has God shown His faithfulness to you in past difficulties? 

How can you crucify your flesh in order to fully 'hand over' your trial to the LORD?

-Amaris ☆ //

☆

Psalm 50 : 6
And the heavens declare His righteousness,
For God Himself is judge.

Psalm 89 : 5-6a
The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD?

Psalm 97 : 6
The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples have seen His glory.

Psalm 19 : 1
the heavens are telling of the glory of GOD;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

Psalm 8 : 1 
O LORD, our LORD,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!

Psalm 57 : 5
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.

Psalm 57 : 9-11
I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the peoples; 
I will sing praises to You among the nations.
For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to the clouds.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.

Psalm 113 : 4-6
The LORD is high above all nations;
His glory is above the heavens.
Who is like the LORD our GOD,
Who is enthroned on high,
Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in heaven and in the earth?

- Amaris //

// spending time with God : //

You guys; I can't 'recommend' God enough.

In all the hard times I've been through in the last 9 months or so, I could NOT have gone through it without God.
I mean, I barely got through it at all (for example : I've never had anxiety attacks before, yet so far this year I've had three -_-), but as hard as things were (and still are), God was there for me every step of the way, and I grew to love Him and rely on Him like I never have before.
And I'm still learning!
I'm especially learning that growth with God never stops. Even when I feel like I've learned so much and think I've come so far with Him, He will show me through something in my life that I have still so much to learn!
A relationship with God is never ending, and that's the best thing about Him in my opinion.

Top reasons I love spending time with God:

// spending time with God : puts my problems back in their place //
To me, this is one of the sweetest things about spending time praying to God and reading in His word. All my troubled and anxious thoughts are put into an amazing perspective that only God can give. What things am I worried about, anxious about, angry about, obsessed about that really don't matter very much? Turns out, quite a few.

Photo credit: Me

// spending time with God : gives me ways to relate to other believers //
Ever heard of church friends? My life has improved in countless ways since I started asking advice from mature Christian friends in my life! God has blessed me with several people in particular at my new church who have helped me grow as a woman in God, all because the LORD moved in my heart to open up to them and ask!

// spending time with God : calms my anxiety //
If you're new here, here's a fact about me. I have anxiety. It's rather bad, actually. It comes and goes in waves throughout different periods of my life. For example, in 2016-2017, I was having a really good two years and I had almost no anxiety. For real, I had almost none. It was awesome. But, things in my life started to change (not necessarily in my external life, but actually largely internal) in 2018 and this year, and it's gotten truly bad and difficult to deal with yet again. But during these times, the word of GOD is even more of a comfort to me! I am incredibly blessed with verses such as these :

Psalm 34:17-18
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.

Photo credit: Me

// spending time with God : reminds me who i am //
As a girl in her early twenties, I am still learning who I am in this life. Who am I living for? What is my purpose? What paths should I take to glorify God? What friends should I try to make? What friends do I let go of? What kind of friend should I be to others? What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? Why do I struggle with this or that? You get the idea. Going back to the perspective thing, spending time with God helps me to hear from Him about who I truly am supposed to be, and puts in perspective the things that I am worried about. That post that I published a bit ago about being single? That came from many hours worth of praying to God and asking Him how He wants me to live my single life, whether it be just for now, or the rest of my life. He has helped me - and is still helping me - see that I don't need another person to be a better version of myself. Believing the lie that I am not complete without "mY oThEr HaLf" would be coming from a place of insecurity and not trusting that God has good plans for me whether they include a significant other or not.

2 Timothy 1:7
for GOD gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.


// spending time with God : reminds me who He is //
I truly believe with all of my heart that God is the best thing that can happen to a person. I think this pin describes my thoughts well:

I like those words. "If you KNEW". God is so mighty, and full of blessing and satisfaction! When Paul went to visit the city of Athens, he noticed that the Athenians had many false gods. They were SO religious, in fact, that they even had a statue dedicated 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD' for whatever god they might have missed! Well, needless to say, Paul had their answer. He was passionate about showing the Athenians that the One True God is here! He is not unknown but wants to be known by us! The Athenians worshiped the created things when they could be worshiping the Creator! Of course, some of the Athenians scoffed at Paul's words (you can read the full story in Acts 17 if you want), but the concept is rather simple: having the 'unknown god' but not discovering who He is or getting to know Him is like having an amazing subscription box delivered to your house with all the incredible things inside but not opening it! It doesn't make any sense to do that.
I truly believe that the LORD is the answer to all problems and He is full of blessing, and reading His word and spending time with Him helps me learn and remember all the ways that He is amazing.

I will close with this verse, from one of my favorite books of the Bible during this time:

Psalm 116:7
Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

Photo credit: Me

~ Amaris // ☆


What does GOD mean to you? What is the best thing God has done for you lately? What is your favorite way to get to know Him?

Psalm 86 // Aesthetic

Well, peeps, this year has been hard so far. 
2016 was really good.
2017 was pretty good.
2018 was ok...

But 2019, man. 
Big oof.

But anyways, in spite of some interesting things going on in my life, the LORD has really been a comfort to me in the last few months, and I think my relationship with Him has grown in ways like it never has. 
The Psalms, especially, have been a place of refuge to me.
As you read, try to just take a deep breath, calm your thoughts, and let these beautiful words speak to you.
Now here you are. A post. 
To praise the God of Psalm 86. (NASB) 

// Psalm 86 //

Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me;
For I am afflicted and needy. 

Preserve my soul, for I am a godly man;
O You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.

  

Be gracious to me, O Lord,
For to You I cry all day long.

Instagram: @est._1998

Make glad the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And give heed to the voice of my supplications!

In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You,
For You will answer me.

Instagram: @est._1998

There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
Nor are there any works like Yours.

All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And they shall glorify Your name.

 For You are great and do wondrous deeds;
You alone are God.

Instagram: @est._1998

  Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.

I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And will glorify Your name forever.

For Your lovingkindness toward me is great,
And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

O God, arrogant men have risen up against me,

And a band of violent men have sought my life,
And they have not set You before them.

Instagram: @est._1998

 But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.

  

Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
Oh grant Your strength to Your servant,
And save the son of Your handmaid.

  

Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Instagram: @est._1998

-Amaris

Too Great to Fathom

(Note: This isn't a song, nor is it a poem. It is an overflow of praise in my heart; inspired by the greatest love ever shown.)

It's freeing, it's sobering.

It's humbling, it's satisfying.

It's gratifying, it's loving.

It's timeless, it's wonderful.

// There isn't anything like it. //

It rights every wrong.

It bridges every gap.

It makes grown men weep.

It makes the weak strong.

 

In my worst days, it is there.

In my best days, it is there.

It is the foundation of every good thing.

// There isn't anything like it. //

From it flows love.

From it flows peace.

From it alone flows redemption.

Redemption.

What a sweet, sweet word!

  Like sugar on my lips.

Wrong has been made right.

Defeat has turned to victory.

Timidity turns to power!

// There isn't anything like it. //

Hate becomes love.

Resentment becomes forgiveness.

Pride becomes humbled.

Simple enough for a child.

Yet it baffles the wisest man.

It is a comfort to the lonely.

It is power for the weak.

It is prosperity for the lowly.

It is refuge for the condemned.

It is delight for the oppressed.

// There isn't anything like it. //

.

.

.

You might have already guessed it; it's the gospel. 

  ~

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"

Psalm 42:1-3 

Many are the afflictions of the righteous. But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Psalm 34:19

O LORD, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.

Psalms 51:15

~ 

-Amaris

// Actual Reasons to NOT Hate Mondays //

This post is a bit inspired by a post my best friend did on her new blog, This Great Adventure.
We got to talking in the comments of that post, and I had the idea for this post. So, here you go.

First off, I don't think it's wrong to have a difficult times with Mondays sometimes. After all, for many people it's the first day to get back to work after the weekend. It's kinda hard sometimes!

But, I have a few reasons why Mondays are actually days that we can rejoice in, instead of drudging through it in 'i need coffee' misery.

Here we go.

// Mondays Are a New Beginning //

The main reason I have for not hating Mondays is that they are a fresh start! The first day of the week is a great time to get your routine and your goals back on schedule. Sure, it might be hard to get back into the swing of things after the weekend, but sometimes a little bit of hard work is just what we need.
They are a new beginning of work that sets the tone for the whole week!

I believe that new beginnings are Biblical. God talks a lot in the Bible about putting old things (the past, our sin, our old ways, etc.) behind us.

The main verse I am speaking of is 2 Corinthians 5:17, which says:

Therefore is any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.


But then there's also another verse which says something similar, a page or two before 5:17, which speaks of how we are renewed every day.

2 Corinthians 4:16

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

I've gotta say it's a great reason to look forward to waking up on Monday morning, as hard as it might be sometimes.

// Mondays Are a Day (Among Many) Given to us by God //

God is Someone we can take refuge in, because He will never fail us. That includes on Mondays!
When I wake up on Monday morning and am tempted to dread the day before me as I go to work, fall back into routine, and perform my Monday duties, I have to stop myself and remember that each and every day is a gift from God.
Even if Mondays are not always 100%, that's no reason for me (us) to hate them!
Rather, I must remember to make the most of my time, as it states in Ephesians 5:15-17.

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Who am I to be miserable because the calendar happens to say 'Monday' when God has given me the gift of an entire day that I can use for Him?
And finally:

// Mondays Are Another Day That We Can Serve, Grow, and Take Refuge in the Lord //

This is the last verse (and the last reason) I have. It is one verse among many found in the Bible that talks about taking refuge in Him.

Psalm 16:1

Preserve me, Oh God, for I take refuge in [You].

This reason kind of goes hand-in-hand with the 2nd reason. Not only are Mondays a gift from God, but they are opportunities to grow in God and become more and more dependent on Him in your life. God is all about growing and changing us, and Monday, just like every other day,  is the PERFECT time to do just that.

~*~
So... with all of that, I guess my number one tip is.... forget that it's Monday!
Live each day as a gift from God, because it is.
Look at every day you wake up as an opportunity for God to do amazing things through you, because He will.
See every new moment as a time that's never been lived in before, because it hasn't.

That is all for now, peeps.

I have missed blogging! It's good to be back. :) I hope you are doing well!

-Amaris

(all verses cited here are from my NASB Bible)
(all pictures in this post are mine - taken from my aesthetic Instagram - use them if you want but please credit me!)

The Bow of Bronze

When I was in highschool, around age 15-17, I had anxiety.

It began when I fainted at my church when I was 15. To worsen things, my Mom got into a car accident soon after (which wasn't her fault, btw, but it still made things worse).
Because of these two things, I got too afraid to go out in public, and what's more, I didn't want to go anywhere in the car (cause cars were scary) at all. I would wear sunglasses a lot whenever we drove anywhere, because I didn't want people or my family to see I was crying and afraid underneath them. This continued pretty much everywhere we went, whether it was church, a homeschool co-op, or just a normal outing. In short, it was a pretty awful time, all the time. According to me, anyways.

Through that time, there was one verse I especially liked that reminded me of God's strength, and that through Him I could overcome my struggles.

// Psalm 18:34 //

"He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze."


I may not have had to go into 'actual battles' like David in the Bible, but just as battles are a struggle, my fears were a struggle for me.
This verse reminded me that:

• He is the one who strengthens me; physically and mentally
• With His help (and only then) can I 'bend a bow of bronze' and triumph over my fears and 'battles'
• I can trust Him to do these things, because the Bible itself is saying so in this verse

Thankfully, I am long past the struggles that I endured as a 15-year-old. But every once in awhile, the Evil One will bring to mind fears and stressful ideas, and it's then that I have to remember this verse.
So I thought I would share it with you too.

I hope that, through whatever you're worried about, this verse will give you strength as it did/does me.

-Amaris

Small Birdie, Big God

A post I wrote a couple days ago.
 --
Today, being Friday (the day that I wrote this), I went through the Starbucks drive thru to get a frappaccino. There's nothing extraordinary about that, but while I was sitting in line for the pay window, I heard in the tree above me, the most crisp, cheery, and lovely sound. It was a series of twitters, ranging from shrills, titters, and tweets, to loud whistles.
I looked up and saw a mockingbird.
It was the first mockingbird I've seen this Spring, actually.

  I know that mockingbirds are among the more aggressive breed of birds, but I have personally always loved them. I always found it amazing that one bird could 'copy' so many others in the song it makes. Its little whistles can make all sorts of sounds, at all different volumes.

I was thinking about this on the way to work whilst sipping my coffee, and I began to think about all the people in the world who don't believe there is a God at all.
It made me sad that some could suppose that such an intricately designed bird could have no Maker. That all of this (meaning the whole world) just randomly happened.

I am not a genius. I am not above-average in intelligence, nor do I even have a college education.
But I, even I, can't imagine all of this -mockingbirds included- without a Designer. I can't imagine things not having a beginning from an intelligent Being Who put it all into place.
Actually, it is to our benefit that we believe in a God who made all things. For He made us, and that means He cares about us!


// 1 Peter 5:7 //

"... casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."


I don't know about you, but I want a piece of That.
God loves the world. Whether they believe in Him or not.
I would rather there be a God who made everything and cares about me, than refuse to believe in Him at all. 
It's something I've decided to put my trust in, and I don't think I'll be disappointed.

-Amaris

He Has Overcome

I was discussing this verse with a blogging friend a few days ago, and was inspired to write this little post.
If you haven't heard, I'm moving (well, my family is) (we don't know where to yet), and as I go through this time of drastic change in my life, I have been reflecting on my life verse lately, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

// John 16:33 //

"I have told you these things, so that you  may have peace. In the world you have tribulations, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

The contrast is obvious: God's peace is greater than the tribulations of this world.

~This is my life verse~
It's the verse I've chosen to fall back on as various things happen throughout my life.

This verse tells me that

• Jesus gives me peace
• The world is full of tribulations (trials, heartaches, chaos, etc.), BUT
• I can take courage
• Jesus has already taken hold of the world
• He is in control
• I can trust Him

I can't express how wonderful it is that we have a whole BOOK of things like this. Promises. Encouragements. Great love.
The entire Bible is filled with such things.

But I just wanted to share this single verse; one of my favorites.

Edit created by me. Painting by Van Gogh.

-Amaris

"Christ alone makes all other things suddenly vanish."
-John Calvin