The verses right before this statement point to starvation and pestilence. It seems that these words would be a great motto for life. Can't you just imagine them on one of those inspirational posters that are advertised in the catalogs you find on an airplane. But would anyone really want such a poster on their wall with these words mocking us day in and day out. These verses make clear what it means to live by faith and to be faithful in our living.
Faithfulness means to go on doing the right thing, no matter what happens.
Faith means that you don't do it as a sour duty, gritting your teeth like a stoic. Faith means you know the God who puts a demand on you, and to know God makes you rejoice, no matter what. Quite frankly, I don't know if I could rejoice in the Lord in the face of starvation, and I suppose that is why I would not buy a poster with these verses etched on it. But they do challenge me constantly with the promise that I have a God so great that nothing could ever happen which would decrease my joy in knowing him. I don't know if I can always live up to these words, but some have and will continue you to do so.