As inflation wreaks havoc and interest rates are near all-time highs, the future can feel uncertain and even ominous. Then, there is the stock market, which continues on a roller coaster ride.  Before I wrote this blog, I checked my stocks.  Many were in the red. My stocks weren’t the only things that sank. My heart did, too.

Yet, in uncertain times, we are called to trust God with our resources. In fact, we are called to trust that God will give us all the resources we need, to believe that God will answer our prayer, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).

Daily bread in the wilderness

Jesus’ words from this famous line in the Lord’s Prayer echo a story from ancient Israel. In Exodus 16, God feeds the Israelites with bread from heaven as they wander through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days” (Exodus 16:4-5).

God provides the Israelites with all the resources they need. But His provision comes with a stipulation – they only gather what they need each day. It is daily bread. On the sixth day, they are to gather what they need for two days so that they might rest on the seventh day.

Human struggles with divine instructions

Unsurprisingly, the Israelites struggled to follow God’s instructions. Some tried to gather more than they needed for each day.

“Some of them kept part of the bread until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell” (Exodus 16:20).

Others try to work every day instead of saving bread so they can rest on the seventh day.

“Some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none” (Exodus 16:27).

A reflection of our own lives

The Israelites’ struggles mirror our struggles. On the one hand, like the Israelites who tried to hoard bread, we can fail to trust God for what we need each day. On the other hand, like the Israelites who failed to save bread sufficiently and tried to work on the seventh day, we can also fail to save for tomorrow to enjoy the rest.

Gathering and saving. Working and resting. And, above all, trusting. These are the pillars of stewarding that God has given us.

The Israelites lived in a world where resources could feel scarce. We do, too. But just because resources feel scarce doesn’t mean they are scarce. God still provides. We are called to trust – to trust Him – even in a time that can feel uncertain.  And that is really all we need to know.