"... he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack..." (Exodus 16:18 NASB)
There is a saying, "if it is to be, it is up to me!" This lie has been around since Satan's first temptation in the garden. The enemy wants us to believe that we must be in charge of our lives. Other than the free-will God gave us to make choices, we were not created with the ability to meet our life needs. Oh, we may think we can, but we can't! Striving by our self-effort always leaves us lacking.
When living by faith, it is necessary to trust God completely. He is our provider. He can meet all our needs fully to the point of complete satisfaction. Satisfaction guaranteed!
The children of Israel learned the hard way that God's provision is just enough for the moment. It didn't depend on their gathering ability. It is too easy to look around at others and either be envious or jealous of their abilities to get or stand in judgement of their lack of drive or ability to get. The focus is on performance.
When we trust God the focus is on His ability, not ours. The Israelites had to trust that God would provide for their needs. They were told only to collect what they needed for that day, except on the sixth day. If they worried that God would not come through, they tried collecting more than they needed for that day. Their provision, however, rotted and became worm ridden before morning. They needed to learn to trust God.
Do you lack for today? Or, are you looking to the future and see your lack there? I suspect that most of us are focused on tomorrow and not realizing that God has provided what we need for today. When you look to your future you may see great lack. Worrying about the future produces anxiety and fear. Or you may look at your future and see no lack, but don't be fooled. No man can really secure his future apart from God's will. (Luke 12:15-21)
Our lives are so much more than stuff. Jesus made it clear that our relationship with the Father is our true treasure. He knew that a life completely surrendered to the Father would not lack. Jesus said in Luke 12:31, "But seek first His kingdom, and these things will be added to you." (NASB)
