'The Floods Have Lifted Up Their Voice;' Sam Dubose's Grieving Christian Mother, Audrey Dubose Made America Listen to Psalm 93
Racked with grief but buoyed by her faith, Audrey Dubose, the Christian mother of 43-year-old Samuel Dubose who was shot dead in the head by University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing during a traffic stop on July 19, said she declared Psalm 93 the day she heard her son had died. On Wednesday, she made America listen to it as she thanked God for revealing the truth about his death.
From the very first day the stoic woman, who says she's been "a servant of the Lord for as long as I've been living on Earth," heard how her son had died, she knew something was amiss, the floods had lifted up, and she leaned on the Lord to make it right.
A police report had faulted her son for being complicit by his actions in his own death. That wasn't the man she knew her son to be and she explained how relieved she was to hear someone describe her son as he really was the day she heard he was killed.
"The day when I heard that my son was killed and I came forth, and so many people, it was a gentleman speaking [about my son] and I knew that gentleman knew my son. The way he spoke of him, I knew he knew him and I felt the need to just go up there and hug him," she explained, referring to a rally, during a press conference Wednesday shortly after Tensing was indicted for murder.
"When I came forth, I brought the Lord with me. He goes with me everywhere I go," she continued.
She then revealed how she declared Psalm 93 in the midst of her storm then appeared to reach into a familiar place in the corner of her mind and recited the five verses of the King James Version of the short piece of scripture verbatim.
"The Lord reigneth, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith He hath girded Himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved," she began.
"Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea," she said.
"Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, forever," she ended.
When she was done, she gathered her thoughts and then with conviction, she delivered her testimony that she was sure would come to pass.
In an exchange with the police dispatcher just after he shot Dubose, Tensing said: "I'm not injured. I almost got ran over by the car. He took off on me. I discharged one round, struck the man in the head."
And on hearing that declaration, an affirmation of the vindication of her beloved son she was waiting to hear, Audrey Dubose delivered her testimony.
"Bless the lord in all that you do because you see, when you get to know God, you got something. God is almighty and I'm so thankful that everything was uncovered because I've been a servant of the Lord for as long as I've been living on earth. I've been loving the Lord. And I know the Lord and I know the wrath of God," she said with a lilting drawl.
"Also I know the love of God so I just thank God that everything is being revealed. I knew that he loved my child. I knew that this was going to be uncovered. And I pray that everybody out there, all the soldiers who was out there marching with me for justice for my son, I thank you and I hope that you continue to do this not just for my son but for many others. And I'm ready to join the battlefield cause my heart goes out for so many that has been unjust," she continued.
"Y'all got to realize that God is in the forehead. God is God. We're just the soldiers. He's fight the battle. Let him fight the battle. And just be thankful. I want everybody just to lift up their hands in prayer and thank God because this one did not go unsolved and hidden so just lift up your hand and thank God. And give Him the glory and we're going to continue to fight together in God, with God. Cause we just the soldiers," she said.
"We're gonna continue to lift Him up and I think more and more be unveiled. All these people be going out here, these wicked people. We already got the victory," she added.