God Help Us

Does God help people in our daily life, or are we to help ourselves?

The two statements "God helps us" and "we help ourselves" are not contradictory. Indeed God expects us to help ourselves and to do whatever efforts are required in the world of nature to survive and thrive. However, that is not to say that He does not help us. As the Talmud states:

Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 32a

Rav Yannai said, “A person should never stand in a place of danger and say that a miracle will be performed for him, lest a miracle not take place; and even if a miracle takes place his merits are depleted [by it].”

That is to say that we cannot abdicate responsibility for ourselves. As a Rabbi of the 20th Century wrote regarding insurance:

Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe, Orach Chaim 2:111, 4:48

Regarding whether it is correct or perhaps prohibited to buy insurance because it may be a lack of faith in God who has the ability to make him rich enough to leave money for his family. According to my humble opinion, there is no lack of faith in God in this, since it is like all matters of business, regarding which a person is not only permitted but indeed obligated to engage in work and/or business for his sustenance. And it is forbidden to say that even if he does nothing God will grant him a living in some way. For how does he know that he has such merit, aside from the prohibition to rely on a miracle even if he does have merit! And therefore, since God has given mankind the wisdom to create insurance so that he may have resources.