I like the way the psalmist ends the Aleph section. He does it in a very personal way. He tells the Lord of his intention, of what he wants to do, of his innermost desire. But because he knows himself so well and knows that he often comes up short, he sighs: Don’t give up on me! Do not utterly forsake me! It is understood that the psalmist may fall short, but he does trust in God's mercy and grace.

The psalmist in one way promises to be faithful and do everything the Word reveals to him. That's probably what most Christians want to do. At the same time, he is realistic and prays that the Lord must not forsake him when he fails and falls short. Here is a nice balance that we have a lot to learn from.

It is good to have good intentions. That's a good thing with determination. It is great to plan and have great faith in what we can accomplish in our walk with God. I have good experience with it. I have also experienced many times that it is easier to have good intentions than it is to implement. Fortunately, I have had the grace to rest in God's grace. Even though I have not managed to do everything I wanted to do, I have been given grace not to despair.

That's how the Psalmist had it too. With all his heart he wanted to keep all the Lord's precepts. But unfortunately he failed sometimes. This is why this heartfelt prayer was born: Don’t give up on me! Please do not forsake me! God hears such heart prayers and answers us: I will never leave you nor forsake you. The good work I have begun in you, I will complete until the day of Jesus Christ.

“I will be faithful to all that your word reveals – so don’t give up on me!