Do Not Cast Me Off in Old Age

The second part of Psalm 71 continues the prayer of one who has trusted God all his life, but here the deepest fear surfaces: what will become of him in old age, when his strength fails? David cries out not to be cast off or forsaken precisely in his weakness. Around him enemies lie in wait and mock, saying that God has forsaken him — "pursue and take him" — a taunt aimed straight at the heart of his faith. But David does not break; his answer to the mockery is to draw nearer: "O God, be not far from me." And from there he rises to unceasing hope and ever-growing praise — a mouth that tells of God's righteousness and salvation all the day. This prayer touches every person — the fear of losing one's strength and being left alone; and David teaches that the answer is not to deny the weakness, but to turn to God from within it.

The verse that carries the song's name, and is the heart of this part, is the cry of old age:

"Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth"

David asks that God not cast him off in old age, nor forsake him as his strength fades. It is a deeply human prayer: precisely when a person is weak and helpless, he asks for the greatest closeness. It is not strength that holds the bond with God, but trust — and that does not depend on age or power. So this verse becomes the prayer of every generation that seeks God's nearness even as the body grows weak.

This chapter is part of the great journey of the project: to compose, with God's help, the entire Book of Psalms in a diverse, emotional, Jewish, uplifting musical language.