nathan-r-dooley

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Psalm 82 | God Judges the Judges

A Psalm of Asaph “God takes His stand in the divine assembly;He judges in the midst of the gods.” “How long will you judge unjustlyAnd show partiality to the wicked?” — Selah “Vindicate the weak and fatherless;Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.Rescue the weak and needy;Save them from the hand of the wicked.” The Failure of Earthly Rulers “They do not know nor do they understand;They…

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Psalm 81 | A Call to Celebrate and Listen to God

For the music director; on the Gittith. Of Asaph. “Sing for joy to God our strength;Shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.Raise a song, strike the tambourine,The sweet-sounding lyre with the harp.Blow the trumpet at the new moon,At the full moon, on our feast day.” “For it is a statute for Israel,An ordinance of the God of Jacob.He established it as a testimony in JosephWhen he went throughout the…

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Psalm 80 | Restore Us, O God

For the music director; set to El Shoshannim, Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph. “Listen, Shepherd of Israel,Who leads Joseph like a flock;You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, awaken Your power,And come to save us!” “God, restore usAnd make Your face shine upon us, and we will be saved.” A National Plea “Lord God of armies,How long will You be…

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Psalm 79 | A Cry for Mercy After Devastation

A Psalm of Asaph “God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance;They have defiled Your holy temple;They have laid Jerusalem in ruins.They have given the dead bodies of Your servantsAs food for the birds of the sky,The flesh of Your godly ones to the animals of the earth.They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem,And there was no one to bury them.” “We have become a…

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Psalm 77 | Remembering God in the Day of Trouble

For the music director; according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. “My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud;My voice rises to God, and He will listen to me.In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;In the night my hand was stretched out and did not grow weary;My soul refused to be comforted.” “When I remember God, then I am restless;When I sigh, then my spirit feels weak.” — Selah “You have…

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The Letter of Truth

If you’ll allow me, Reader, let me invite you into something mysterious. As you breathe, simultaneously, you die.How can what contains death bear life?Or why does what contains life experience death? Wherever you are—be it morning, midnight, or the murk of the in-between—I invite you to settle in with coffee or tea. This may take a moment. Cheers ☕️, Do our souls not contain the evidence of…

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Psalm 76 | God Is Known Through His Judgment

For the music director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song. “God is known in Judah;His name is great in Israel.His tabernacle is in Salem;His dwelling place also is in Zion.” “There He broke the flaming arrows,The shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.” — Selah Majestic in Power and Victory “You are resplendent,More majestic than the mountains of prey.The stouthearted were…

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Psalm 75 | God Will Judge with Equity

A Psalm of Asaph. A Song to the Tune of “Do Not Destroy.” “We give thanks to You, God, we give thanks,For Your name is near;People declare Your wondrous works.” God’s Righteous Judgment “When I select an appointed time,It is I who judge fairly.The earth and all who inhabit it are unsteady;It is I who have firmly set its pillars.” — Selah “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’And to the…

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The Seed of Today

A Morning Walk This morning, I rose with strange energy—despite just 4 hours and 28 minutes of uninterrupted sleep. No grogginess. No resistance. Just alertness. Purpose. As I geared up to walk our dog, Rocky, my wife Laura blinked in surprise. “Are you going for a walk?”“Are you okay? Why?” “The Lord told me to,” I replied, equally surprised at my own response. We exchanged a few words…

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Psalm 74 | A Plea for God to Remember His People

A Maskil of Asaph “God, why have You rejected us forever?Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?Remember Your congregation, which You purchased of old,Which You have redeemed to be the tribe of Your inheritance;And this Mount Zion, where You have dwelt.” “Step toward the irreparable ruins;The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.Your adversaries have roared in the…

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Crossroads of Calling: A Purposeful Return to Writing

There I was—at a crossroads. Do I shut down my blog? Repurpose it? Or keep going—how should I proceed? At the beginning of the year, I told my wife, Laura, “If I catch myself doom-scrolling or stumbling into impurity through the social media platforms where I share these posts, I’ll shut it all down.” I meant it. Before rejoining social media, I intentionally took time to examine my heart and…

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Psalm 73 | From Envy to Intimacy: A Journey of Perspective

A Psalm of Asaph “Surely God is good to Israel,To those who are pure in heart!But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,My steps had almost slipped.For I was envious of the arrogantAs I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pureAnd washed my hands in innocence;For I have been stricken all day long,And punished every morning.” “When I thought of…

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Psalm 72 | A Prayer for the King’s Righteous Rule

A Prayer for Justice and Prosperity “Give the king Your judgments, God,And Your righteousness to the king’s son.May he judge Your people with righteousness,And Your afflicted with justice.May the mountains bring peace to the people,And the hills, in righteousness.May he vindicate the afflicted of the people,Save the children of the needy,And crush the oppressor.” A Vision of Global…

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Psalm 71 | You Are My Hope, O Lord God

A Lifelong Trust in God “In You, Lord, I have taken refuge;Let me never be put to shame.In Your righteousness rescue me and save me;Extend Your ear to me and help me.Be to me a rock of dwelling to which I may continually come;You have given the command to save me,For You are my rock and my fortress.” Sustained by God Since Youth “God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked,From the grasp of the…

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Psalm 70 | Make Haste, O God, to Deliver Me

A Urgent Plea for Help “God, hurry to save me;Lord, hurry to help me!May those who seek my life be put to shame and humiliated;May those who delight in my harmBe turned back and dishonored.May those who say, ‘Aha, aha!’Be turned back because of their shame.” Joy for the Righteous “May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;And may those who love Your salvation say continually,‘May God be…

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Psalm 69 | Save Me, O God

A Cry for Deliverance in Deep Distress “Save me, God,For the waters have threatened my life.I have sunk in deep mud, and there is no foothold;I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched;My eyes fail while I wait for my God.” Surrounded by Enemies Without Cause “Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;Those…

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Psalm 68 | Let God Arise and His Enemies Be Scattered

God’s Triumphant Procession “God rises, His enemies scatter,And those who hate Him flee from His presence.As smoke is blown away, so You blow them away;As wax melts before a fire,So the wicked perish before God.But the righteous are joyful; they rejoice before God,Yes, they rejoice with gladness.” A Father to the Fatherless “Sing to God, sing praises to His name;Exalt Him who rides through the…