When ‘Not Enough’ Meets God’s Provision

flying birds above herd of animals near trees

Not enough time. Not enough strength. Not enough rest. Not enough courage. Not enough salary. Not enough sleep. Not enough funds. Not enough purpose.

Sometimes, it feels like life is overflowing with “not enoughs.”

Have you ever felt exhausted in many ways yet still unfulfilled? We live in a society filled with expectations; we are told that we should be doing better than ever before because we have access to more tools and opportunities now. We bombard ourselves with self-affirmation, saying things like, “Just trust your courage. Trust yourself. Find ways. Find solutions. You can do it! You’re the best!”

So, we push ourselves harder. We overwork in the office. We overdo our research. We pursue multiple sources of income, hoping that in a few years, we can travel, relax, and enjoy life. We work hard to protect and secure our families so we won’t end up in the same cycle. We don't take it one day at a time, believing that securing our lives today means we won’t suffer tomorrow.

These are good things. What we do today truly has an impact on our tomorrows. But that’s not the end-all. Life was never meant to be sustained solely by what our hands can accomplish or our minds can imagine.

I’ll admit, I’ve been one of those people—planning for tomorrow, working hard today, giving my best, looking for problems to solve, and wanting life with comfort for my family. And while those things are good, they don’t guarantee a better life, no matter how hard we try.

Earlier today, I listened to a testimony on TikTok about how God provides for His children because He is a good Father. It reminded me of how God once provided for me during a season when I felt like I was walking in the wilderness. Lately, I realized I haven’t been thinking much about God’s provision because I’ve been relying more on myself.

My wilderness season

In 2023, my year was full of heartbreaks but also full of God’s provision. I felt like I had nothing to offer. I was stripped of everything I thought I could rely on—even myself. I didn’t have a regular job, just one tutoring gig. I was studying while paying for my research and graduation requirements. Our internet connection was cut off because I couldn’t pay the bill, and the interest doubled due to the delay. My laptop barely worked, so I had to go to church just to use the computer.

Every day, my prayer was simple: “Lord, I hope this season passes. I hope I can conquer whatever is ahead. Please give me a job.” I applied for online jobs, but nothing worked out.

With so much uncertainty, I had plenty of time to cry out to God, wait for His provision, and write in my journal. And then, I saw God’s hand at work through the people around me. Ate Aiza would quietly leave food in the office for me. Ate Tin opened her home so I could work on my research and provided space and comfort. Some people I didn’t even know bought Human Nature products and gave me extra income, My tuition was paid. My tutor paid me more than my hourly rate. My parents and sister supported me in whatever way they could.

God’s provision carried me through until I graduated.

Then, my iconic laptop prayer

After graduation, by God’s favor, I got a job. But my laptop still wasn’t working well. I remember one night, feeling frustrated, telling the Lord:

"Lord, binigyan Mo nga po ako ng work pero sira-sira itong laptop ko. You want me to write, di ba? Pero ang hirap kaya ng walang laptop. Please provide for me, Lord. I want to see Your hand tomorrow. Please touch the heart of the person You’re going to use." I was really in desperate plea.

That night, I felt so small and defeated. I didn’t have the money to buy a laptop because I was still paying off my internet debt and other expenses. I sat at my table, wishing my laptop would somehow turn on and stop hanging.

The very next day, my co-teacher—who was selling his own laptop—approached me and said:
"Ma’am, ito na pala yung laptop ko. Tsaka mo na lang bayaran kapag may pera ka na. Hindi ko naman ginagamit, nakatambak lang. Brand new, nagamit ko lang ng few months."

I was stunned. Oh God, You’re real.

Remembering the manna

God’s provision is always near when we come to Him—when we ask, seek, and trust. In that season when I had nothing to rely on but Him, I saw His provision again and again. My pride, my self-reliance, my need for control—all were stripped away. And in that place of surrender, God showed up.

But now, I realize I’ve been slipping back into my old ways—relying on my own pockets, my own efforts, and forgetting that God’s provision comes to those who draw near to Him.

Looking beyond this life

As much as we want a better life here and try to make this world a better place, the truth is—it won’t be here. As John MacArthur once said, “Your best life as a Christian begins when this life ends.”

So why do we keep striving to have our best life here? Yes, we can enjoy what we have and find purpose to make life a little more comfortable, but the reality is that this world is getting worse day by day. There will be terrible times in the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Our life here is only temporary—"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14).

And yet, so often, we trust ourselves more than the One who holds our future. But the Word reminds us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

So why not listen to His calling? Why not lay down the constant striving and instead rest in the God who provides not just for today, but for eternity?


If you are in a season of “not enough”, remember this: God’s enough is always greater than our not enough. His provision is here fresh each day. Ask Him. Seek Him. Surrender. The manna still falls—one day at a time.

Lately, I’ve been reminded of this truth. I used to think God only provides for the “small” things in life, those everyday blessings that seem ordinary. But when life gets harder, I believed I had to work even more, strive harder, and somehow become “worthy” of His bigger provisions.

But God is a faithful provider for His children. When the Israelites faced the Red Sea, He didn’t just give them courage to swim—He made a way. He split the waters, creating a dry path to their promised land. And that’s who He is. In the small and the great, He works the same way, making a way where there is none, filling our “not enough” with His endless supply.

So we obey. We trust. We lean on His understanding, not our own. We surrender because in every step, big or small, He is the One who provides. If God provides for the birds of the air, if He clothes the flowers of the field in beauty, how much more will He care for His children?

So we seek His kingdom first.
We seek His righteousness.
And we rest in the promise that all these things will be given to us as well.

Matthew 6:25–34
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”


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A lady who has been pondering her hope into Christ, inhaling His grace, and enjoying the beauty of life. Writing about life, asking God about "kuliglig sa kanyang dibdib."