Divine Delays: Preparing in Plenty for the Famine Ahead

 

Genesis‬ ‭41:25-31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years; the dreams are one. And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine. This is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. Indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; but after them seven years of famine will arise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine will deplete the land. So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe.”

The voice of God spoke to a pagan king to warn him of impending judgment. He needed a Joseph, though, to help him focus in on the meaning.  And what was the message God sent? That following seven years of prosperity like no one has ever seen, seven years of incredible, devastating famine would follow close behind.

Don’t think for a moment that during those seven plenteous years, they were not tempted to ease up on all the extra work they did storing away their excess for later.. 

Staggering prosperity had become the status quo. They were richer than they could ever imagine, and there seemed no end in sight of all the abundance.

But those following seven years were right behind. Seven torturous, unbelievably dead years. We think 2020 has been hard! Imagine seven solid years without rain,  without a break in the weather, without green life all around you.  Seven years of heartache. Seven years of a devastated economy. Seven years of no hope in sight, no light at the end of the tunnel.

If Egypt had not hearkened to Joseph, if they had dismissed him as a silly foreigner, or as insane, likely everyone in the region would’ve perished.   What if Pharaoh had dismissed his dream, had chalked it up to something he ate at dinner that didn’t agree? what if it hadn’t kept him awake all night, and bothered him to such a degree? What if he just rolled over, took a sleeping pill, and slept away the day until it was all forgotten?

And those of us who are familiar with the story of Joseph recognize that, although incredibly unfair, every thing that Joseph endured at the hands of his brothers, at the hands of Potiphar, and his wicked wife, led to THIS specific moment in time.  Even the unjust way the Pharoah’s butler completely forgot Joseph’s service to him STILL constituted the aligning of God’s perfect plan!  TWO COMPLETE YEARS passed before Pharaoh’s dream, before Joseph was called.  Two YEARS.  24 months. 730 days.  17,520 hours.  1,051,200 SECONDS.

Tick...tick...tick.

Of course, with the benefit of Genesis, and hindsight, we realize that this was God, setting the stage for Joseph to be exactly in the right place at precisely the right time. We don’t know why he had to be in prison, unjustly accused, to bring this about.  But since God’s ways are perfect, we can only assume that the DELAY was DIVINE. Joseph was learning lessons that we can only speculate about, but since God is intentional, they were surely adding value to his future role as the number 2 man in the kingdom of Egypt.

We are in uncertain times. We do not know what lives around the corner, but we do recognize things will not be as they have been before. We have lived through times of plenty, and if God is merciful we may see a few more years of plenty.  We see through a glass, darkly.

It is possible though, that we have just stepped in to our famine period.  The question is, have we stored up enough spiritual sustenance, God relationship to help us in the lean times ahead? Did we accept the years of plenty as some sort of deserved God-blessing? Did we allow ourselves to become lulled into a false sense of security, desensitized to developing the spiritual maturity we will desperately need in the days ahead?  Have we accepted false promises that we will ALWAYS be prosperous, that things will ALWAYS be as rich and plenteous as they have always been?  What have we done to prepare ourselves for the potential of FAMINE?  

It is frightening to think of, I know.  When these thoughts come to my mind, I’d MUCH rather take my finger, and swipe the screen of my imaginations, and scroll right by that mess.  

If Pharoah had not heeded the God-given advice of Joseph, we can only speculate on how different the world as a whole would be different today.  He was certainly made uncomfortable by the position he was in.  I am sure his advisors, if they had been allowed, would have tried talking him out of his plans.  “We have ENOUGH.”  “You’re being a pessimist.”  “Look how much we have EVERY YEAR!  This is overkill.”  It is likely WHY God put it in Pharoah’s heart to make Joseph his right-hand man—so no other politician could get in the way and junk everything else up.  Joseph had ABSOLUTE authority.  And since he had already proven himself to God that he could be trusted to behave himself ethically and morally, Pharaoh never had cause to doubt him and his efforts.

Just as Egypt prepared for the 7 lean years, God had prepared Joseph during his 13 years of WAITING.  No matter where he was, he WORKED.  He prepared to be his BEST SELF, whether he was a slave or a prisoner.  He developed and used his giftings—and never allowed himself to stay mired in depression over his circumstances.  He REFUSED TO PLAY THE VICTIM.  If anyone could have played the victim card, it was Joseph.  He went from favored son to being sold as a slave—by his own brothers—in a matter of a few hours.

Don’t tell me he didn’t feel the despair of it.  He was suddenly in a waking nightmare.  And yet, GOD USED THE NIGHTMARE to save the dreamer, and fulfill the Dream.

If you find yourself in a difficult or even desperate place, you will want to have something nourishing laid aside from the years of plenty.  Take time NOW to make God-deposits in your future.  Don’t let the plenty of the present make you complacent about preparing for what is to come.