37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly. 48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. 49 Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable. 50 And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.” 52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” 53 Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.” 56 The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. 57 So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.
Genesis 41:37-57 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/gen.41.37-57.NKJV.
Isn’t it amazing how God can change one’s circumstances in an instant? Such was the situation around Joseph. This day, he had woken up a prisoner but ended up sleeping in the palace. He had gained so much favour in the eyes of Pharaoh that he gave him a position of the prime minister of the land. God had been good to Joseph even in the midst of his affliction. He had continued to do good in serving God and His people. He did not despair but kept the faith alive even in the midst of difficulty. He desired to do right in all things even as situations around him pushed him to do the opposite. God rewards faithfulness towards Him. It doesn’t matter how long we travail in hardship and pain. God desires that we remain faithful and obedient to him for obedience is better than sacrifice. The confidence Pharaoh had in Joseph was second to none. He must have had confidants and advisors around him before his discovery of Joseph but all of them immediately lost relevance. His confidence was directed towards Joseph because of his belief in a great God who can reveal mysteries. Do we represent God so well even in the eyes of those who don’t believe in Him? Do we show Him so strong that unbelievers end up forsaking their ways and believing in our God and what He says? Mahatma Gandhi said that he likes the life of Christ Christians preach but not the lives of Christians themselves. Isn’t that the situation also today? The God we represent is not only able to save and transform lives, He is also able to solve people’s problems. He’s able to heal the sick, provide food for the hungry, clothe the destitute, transform nations among others. All we need to do is to ask Him to use us as His agents of change. Our society today is hungry for Christians given fully to God desiring to be used by Him to solve life’s problems. Inventors and innovators are needed. If we rely on God, He’ll give us answers to our problems and He’ll be praised among the non believers. In this instant, Joseph was guided by God through the dream interpretation to advise Pharaoh to store grain in times of plenty so as not to lack during drought. Isn’t it astonishing how such a simple yet divine strategy is still lacking in many nations today especially in the developing world? Climate change has led to droughts and food insecurity resulting into the death of many people. Today we are less food secure yet have more agricultural experts. Today, more people starve to death than a hundred years ago yet others have so much to waste. God never intends for us to waste anything. In fact waste signifies the presence of greed. Just as in the days of Joseph, if we have plenty, we must find ways to store it for a hard time. The stores of Egypt were so full during the years of famine that people came from other nations to buy food rations because the famine was biting. This is God’s desire, that we do not eat everything that He blesses us with during good times but that we learn to spare some and save. Even after receiving our incomes at the month’s end, God’s desire is after we’ve tithed and budgeted for the month, to have some amount to store as a saving for the day of adversity. God is a God of order. He desires us to plan and organize ourselves for the future. When catastrophe strikes, many at times we claim that it is an ‘act of God’. But in real sense, God has given us the tools to predict for events. In that case, when calamity strikes, we are not caught unawares and instead of great suffering, we end up blessing others.
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