Why ask God to remain faithful?
On one level, it is totally unnecessary to call on God to remain faithful. He is faithful to all of his promises. There is no chance that God will forsake his people.
However, our circumstances do not always seem to conform to this truth. We see evil in the world and trouble in our own lives and we wonder, Is God truly with us?
The writer of this psalm had had confidence in God from his youth (see Ps 71:5–6), but now that he had grown old he was worried because his enemies had sensed his weakness and had closed in on him. Their assessment was that God had forsaken him in his old age.
From this perspective—pouring out his honest emotions—the psalmist called on God to protect him. He asked God to remember his promise not to forsake him. He also asked the Lord to punish those who were persecuting him. But not only did he appeal to God’s promise; he also made one of his own: If God would rescue him, then he would tell the next generation about God’s power (see Ps 71:18).
The writer was confident the Lord would save him. He repeatedly expressed this firm conviction (seePs 71:14–17,19–21) and concluded his prayer with a song of praise (see Ps 71:22–24).
Replies
As I age I continually pray for God to illuminate, guard and keep my mind. That I will never forget who I am, who God is, my children / grandchildren. That I will always remember to witness to a dying generation So that my mouth can continually praise Him and tell of His righteousness. That as long as the blood is running warm through my veins my praise shall continually be unto Him. Not that I fret over the Lord leaving me or forsaking me. I stand on His word and His promise to never leave are forsake me. The enemy attacks the mind so I pray that God will Keep my mind in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Him. Pray my strength in the Lord.