Daily Devotion

“Don't be anxious about all that lies ahead; just do the next thing.”

Elisabeth Elliot · The anonymous poem "Do the Next Thing," often quoted by Elisabeth Elliot

Scripture

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Reflection

We are often overwhelmed by the grand illusions of the "future," neglecting the fact that the "now" is the only moment God has given us to exercise our sovereignty. Elisabeth Elliot often quoted an old poem: "Do the next thing." God doesn't ask us to move an entire mountain at once; He only asks us to bend down and pick up a stone at our feet. When we shift our attention from "difficulties that haven't happened yet" to "the work we are doing," anxiety loses its nourishment. Every drop of water used to water plants, every heartfelt conversation, is a practice of surrendering to the Lord's faithfulness. Today, lay down the burdens of tomorrow and focus on that most concrete, smallest "next thing" between breaths, for there lies the peace of God's presence.