Preparing for the Famine
Genesis 41:29-30
"Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;"
Life is a series of cycles. You will have ups, and you will have downs. You will have prosperity, but you will also have famine. God allowed Pharaoh to have a dream that taught this principle. God showed Pharaoh through his dream that there would be seven years of plenty, and the years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine. Joseph advised Pharaoh to prepare for the famine by setting aside in the years of plenty. This advice should be followed by all, whether it is a person or a government.
Prosperity will not last forever. One of the mistakes of this present generation is that it doesn't seem to understand that prosperity will end. When you live in times of prosperity, you must realize that it will end someday.
Likewise, famine will not last forever. Just like prosperity will only last for a time, famine will end someday as well. When you are going through tight times, you must not give up, eventually you will see good times again. You must not despair in times of famine for they are only temporal.
Furthermore, prosperity is sent to prepare for the famine. Here is where many people make a mistake. Prosperity is not sent for pure enjoyment, but God sends us prosperity so we can prepare to make it through the times of famine. During times of prosperity you must have the character to set aside. When you are young, learn to set aside for retirement. When times are going well, learn to set aside some finances to make it through the coming years of famine. You must not be one who wastes all your finances thinking that they will always be there. There will come a time when prosperity will end, so you must be sure to use the time of prosperity to prepare yourself for when the time of famine comes.
The bite of famine is only as grievous as prosperity's preparation. Famine is never an enjoyable thing to go through, but you can take the fierceness of its bite away by preparing for it in times of prosperity. When you look at those who prepared for their senior years when they were young, you will notice that they don't struggle as much as those who wasted their years of prosperity. You can either tighten the belt in years of prosperity so you can enjoy the latter years of your life, or you can splurge now and have nothing when the years of famine come.
Finally, preparation and prayer gives provision in the famine. If you will learn to set aside during times of prosperity, you will find that you will have enough to make it through the times of famine. Moreover, you must pray and ask God to give you the wisdom and character to help you to set aside. Ask God when the famine comes to help multiply what you have set aside. God promises to supply all of our need, so ask Him to bless what you have.
If Pharaoh wouldn't have listened to the wise advice of Joseph, then Egypt would not be in existence. Follow the advice of Joseph to set aside in times of prosperity so you can make it through the years of famine.