My Introduction to Psalm 70

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A few days after gramps walked me to the hospital, she annouced I would live with her for a little while until my mother could clear her head. Mama checked herself into a mental hospital long enough to figure out how to manipulate the system -- something I learned quite painfully later on.



My 2 sisters, brother, and myself all moved in with gramps for about 8 weeks. She had a very large old home she shared with no one so there was plenty room. At the end of those 8 weeks, we all returned home and things returned to what they were before, except they were much worse for me. By the time I was 8 years old, I could: cook basic meals (remember, microwaves were pretty non-existant back then), wash and braid my sisters' hair on a regular basis, wash/hang to dry/fold clothes, clean bathrooms throughly (scrubbing toilets included), sweep and mop floors, and answer to bells, whistles, knocks on walls, or "hey you!" on cue. Mama liked showing that off to her friends when they came to visit. She hated my guts.



Mama liked torturing me more than she liked beating me. She would often call the school and pretend there was an emergency that she needed to speak to me about. Once I got to the office and picked up the phone, she would say things like, "You left dirty dishes in the sink this morning. When you get home, I'm kicking your fucking ass." Of course, it was usually 1 cup that a sibling used after I walked out the door. But that didn't matter. She enjoyed torturing me. It was 8:30 am and I had to sit through the entire day worrying about the beating I would receive at the end of the day. So many times I wanted to just leave school and get it over with, then return to school and get on with my day.



Gramps introduced me to Psalm 70 to help me get through the torture:

1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me;

Make haste to help me, O Jehovah.

2 Let them be put to shame and confounded

That seek after my soul:

Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor

That delight in my hurt.

3 Let them be turned back by reason of their shame

That say, Aha, aha.

4 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee;

And let such as love thy salvation say continually,

Let God be magnified.

5 But I am poor and needy;

Make haste unto me, O God:

Thou art my help and my deliverer;

O Jehovah, make no tarrying.

Rarely did I refer to this Psalm, but I did pray -- in my own way -- often. I have continued to do so, even though I rarely attend church and I don't really consider myself a religious person. Gramps always emphasized the power of prayer. I have great comfort in knowing she prays for me often.