Here is an audio version of an earlier version of this post.
Jesus’ followers, saved by grace,
shall live by faith in God and faithfulness to the Lord.
(Habakkuk 2:4, my paraphrase)
Elisabeth Elliot
Elisabeth Howard Elliot Gren (1926-2015) was a Christian missionary and speaker who authored over 20 books. She grew up in a Christian family in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, PA. Her first husband, Jim Elliot, was martyred in 1956, doing missionary work in Ecuador. Elisabeth’s radio program “Gateway to Joy” opened like this: “You are loved with God’s everlasting love, that’s what the Bible says. And underneath you are Christ’s everlasting arms.”1
Elisabeth popularized a poem, which I have adapted below. She called it anonymous, but we now know it was written by Minnie Kenney Paul (1859-1895). Elisabeth used it when she didn’t know which way to turn or what to do next. Elisabeth kept re-committing herself to trusting Christ, then she got busy doing the next right thing she knew that the Lord commanded us in Scripture. Therapist Michael Ceely says: “Taking just one small action will reduce your anxiety and diminish your feelings of overwhelm.”2 Pastor Kevin DeYoung says: “Seek first the kingdom of God, and then trust that He will take care of our needs, even before you know what they are and where you’re going.”3
Elisabeth Elliot didn’t let go and let God. She trusted Jesus and did good, as Psalm 37 teaches. Her faith in Christ was active, not passive. Jesus gives us forensic righteousness (justification) and Holy Spirit power for ethical righteousness (sanctification) lived out in ordinary, everyday life. Scripture says: “We are God’s handiwork, masterpiece, work of art, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”4
The Poem
Elisabeth used Minnie Paull’s advice to encourage and strengthen herself in the Lord her God. She also used it to help other Christians navigate times of spiritual anxiety, depression, stress, and the tyranny of the urgent. The poem can help us when we are grieving, weary, stuck in a rut, or uncertain.
Lord, use this to help us take the next step in walking by faith in Christ and with Him.
1. From an old English parsonage, down by the sea,
There came in the twilight a message for me.
Its quaint Saxon legend, deeply engraven,
It has, seems to me, God’s teaching from Heaven.
And on through the hours the quiet words ring,
Like a low inspiration: DO THE NEXT THING.
2. Many a questioning, many a fear,
Many a doubt will be quieted here.
Moment by moment, let down from Heaven,
Time, opportunity, guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrows, child of the King.
Trust them with Jesus. DO THE NEXT THING.
3. Do it immediately. Do it with prayer.
Do it reliantly, casting all care.
Do it with reverence, tracing Christ’s hand.
He placed it before you with earnest command.
Rest on His omnipotence, safe beneath His wing.
Leave all resultings. DO THE NEXT THING.
4. Looking to Jesus, ever serener.
Working or suffering, let this be your demeanor.
In His dear presence, the rest of His calm.
Let the light of Christ’s countenance be your psalm.
Strong in His faithfulness, praise and sing!
Then, as He commands you, DO THE NEXT THING.
Related Scriptures
•Micah 6:8–God has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Comment: God values our Christ-following actions more than doing religious rituals. Taking care of the poor and disadvantaged is a central concern of the whole Bible. How can we expect the Lord, the great Helper, to aid us when we ignore the helpless whom we can help? Let’s not presume that God will be favorable toward us if we are not reflecting His heart to others. None of us can help everybody. But all of us can help somebody. And when we help them, we serve Jesus.
•Galatians 5:6—The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. James 2:20 Faith apart from good works is inactive, ineffective, and worthless.
Comment: Christian faith is not merely knowing the right facts about God, but it is a living trust in the Lord that expresses itself in acts of love, kindness, mercy, and service. “God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.”5 Jesus calls us to care for the hungry, thirsty, sick, and those who are strangers, need clothes, or are in prison.6
Comment: We are to work hard for Jesus out of true dependence on Him. We need the Holy Spirit’s constant help to shape our attitudes and actions through His Holy Scriptures. We need Him to motivate us to serve out of love for God and our neighbors.7 This doesn’t happen automatically; we must consciously choose to do our jobs, care for others, and serve in various ways for Jesus. When we remember that Christ first loved us and gave Himself for us, that brings delight to our most ordinary tasks. Let’s look forward every day to Jesus’ eventual praise: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!“8
•John 10:27–Jesus said: My sheep listen to My voice. I know them, and they follow Me. James 1:22—Do not merely listen to the Scripture and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Comment: Following Jesus in this fallen world is not easy. It requires self-denial, sacrifice, and suffering. Living by every word that comes from God’s mouth means submitting to Him, obeying Him, and trusting Him to handle the consequences. Christ knows all, and He knows best. Yes, we will stumble along the way in following Christ, but though Jesus’ believers fall a million times, we will rise again with God’s help.9
•Psalm 27:14—Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Comment: Elisabeth said, “Because God is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to.” Waiting on God requires the willingness to live with uncertainty and unanswered questions. King David said: “Trust in the Lord at all times, you people. Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.”10
A Favorite Verse
In childhood, Elisabeth’s mother pointed her to Naomi’s advice to Ruth: “Sit still, my daughter, until you see and know how the matter will turn out.”11 There is a time to act, and a time to wait. When we have done our duty, we must wait to see what God will do,, knowing that He come through for us.
Faith is like radar that sees through the fog. By God’s grace, we see by faith the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see. Corrie Ten Boom
Prayer: Lord, help us to trust and obey You step by step, especially when the future is unclear to us. Help us to believe You enough to stake our daily lives and our eternal destiny on You and Your Scriptures. Faith is all about trusting You when we cannot see what lies ahead. Give us faith to believe in You for salvation and faith for living through hardships day by day, when we can’t see a way out. Help us to trust You to always be with us, guarding and guiding us. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.
Notes (various Bible translations used): 1 Quoting Jeremiah 31:3 and Deuteronomy 33:27. 2 “Worrying All the Time? Action Cures Anxiety,”ceelycounseling.com, Dec 24, 2018. 3 Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Wil (2009). 4 Eph 2:10.
5 Heb 6:10. 6 Matt 25:31-48. 7 Mark 12:28-34. 8 Matt 25:14-30. 9 Prov 24:16, my paraphrase. 10 Psa 62:8. 11 Ruth 3:18.
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