John Calvin Commentary Psalms 71:5

"For thou art my hope, O Lord Jehovah: [Thou art] my trust from my youth." — Psalms 71:5 (ASV)

For thou art my expectation, O Lord Jehovah! The Psalmist here repeats what he had said a little before concerning his trust or confidence.

But some, perhaps, may be inclined to refer this sentence rather to the matter or ground given to him for hope and confidence than to the emotions of his heart, supposing that he meant that by the benefits God had bestowed on him, he was provided with well-grounded hope.

And certainly, he does not here simply declare that he hoped in God, but with this he joins experience and acknowledges that even from his youth he had received signs of Divine favor, from which he could learn that confidence is to be placed in God alone.

By referring to what God had done for him, he expresses the real cause of faith (if I may say so), and from this we can easily perceive the powerful influence that the remembrance of God’s benefits had in nourishing his hope.