Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation say evermore, ‘God is great!’ But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay! (Psalm 70: 4-5)

I am poor. The Hebrew is 'ainy a form of 'anah. Poor is an entirely legitimate translation. It can also mean afflicted or oppressed. There is an implication of being afflicted by busy-ness. The oppression is one of distraction, confusion and, as a result, an inability to focus on one's own purposes.

I am needy. The Hebrew is 'ebyown. Needing help, especially God's help, is suggested by the word. The adjective is derived from the verb 'abah. The verb means to be willing or to give one's consent. This neediness is an absense of consent. There is a need to be conscious of and exercise one's own will.

God is my deliverer - the one who will help me escape - from this poverty and this neediness. God enlivens my sense of purpose. God encourages my free will and conscious choice.