This famous quote from Elisabeth Elliot was actually originally coined from a very old poem, printed in a little book called Ye Nexte Thynge by Eleanor Amerman Sutphen, published in 1897. 

Its old-timey yet rich words strike a chord in our ever-anxious hearts. 

“Looking for Jesus, ever serener, 

Working or suffering, be thy demeanor; 

In His dear presence, the rest of His calm, 

The light of His countenance be thy psalm, 

Strong in His faithfulness, praise, and sing. 

Then, as He beckons thee, do the next thing.” 

Even 122 years ago, saints wrestled with the idea of understanding faithfulness. 

Sometimes faithfulness is doing the hard thing because you know it’s the right thing. Other times faithfulness might feel like blind trust, stumbling in the dark searching for light. More often than not, being faithful means putting your feet on the cold hard floor after your alarm wakes you from slumber. It is as simple as doing the next thing found in front of you, all to the glory of God (Ecclesiastes 9:10). 

Our faithfulness is less about the outcome, but more about our hearts. It is not hinged on the theology of good works for great favor. It is perpetual obedience and trust in the one who controls all things. 

There are so many characteristics of God that invoke deep comfort, but perhaps one of the most encouraging is his faithfulness. 2 Timothy 2:13 powerfully puts it this way: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.” One of the most intrinsic aspects of God’s nature is that he functions apart from us. His power doesn’t reside in our scorekeeping. Our faithfulness does not determine his faithfulness. 

After all, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” Numbers 23:19. 

He has spoken, his word is sure. However, our sinful nature often keeps us from our faithfulness. But because of his great covenant-keeping love, he pardons us. 

In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah “laments” after the once-great city of Jerusalem fell to Babylon. There is a mixture of the anguish of God’s judgment in his words and God’s compassion. The loud cries for Jerusalem are halted by that single word of hope… “yet.” 

"For the Lord will not cast off forever, but though He cause you grief, yet He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love, for He does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men” (31-33). Here we have the consolation that grief is temporary. "And though He cause you grief..."

God acknowledges the pain suffering allows. "....Yet he will have compassion." The Lord promises relief, and that is through the power his presence brings. 

We can be faithful because we trust in a God who does not change and who gives us himself. Every day is a new day to be faithful and do what the Lord has called us to do, from little to big. His mercies are new every morning. 

This truth gives us comfort, meaning, and purpose. 

“So Strong in His faithfulness, praise, and sing. 

Then, as He beckons thee, do the next thing.”