You Can Prosper When the World Is in Lack

This is a very important topic to me because I read this several years ago and it leaped out to me. But at the time when God reveals a revelation to you, it's on our part to study it out and figure out deeper into the meaning behind it.

Genesis 47—you can read the story of Joseph.

Joseph, of course, we know came from the lineage of Jacob. And as we know, we have the twelve tribes. And as we see for Joseph, Joseph was the one who was put in slavery. Joseph was the one who was sold. Joseph was the one—the coat of many colors. And we've heard many, many good teachings on the story of Joseph.

But Genesis 47—this is a story of something that happened in the midst of a famine that was going on in the land. And it was a divine plan given to Joseph to tell the people in Egypt how to prosper in the time of a famine.

It’s a very interesting story because we can see that it ties back to even us now as the church—how to prosper in the land that we're in now. Even though things are going on right now… people say the economy is up and down. The stock market—one minute the stock market is up, one minute it's down. The real estate market—prices of houses are dropping, prices are rising.

This is a consistent plan that has not changed. It's a consistent plan that does not change.

Genesis 47, verse 13:

“Meanwhile, the famine became so severe that all the food was used up, and people were starving throughout the lands of Egypt and Canaan. By selling grain to the people, Joseph eventually collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan, and he put the money in Pharaoh’s treasury.”

When the people of Egypt and Canaan ran out of money, all the Egyptians came to Joseph:

“Our money is gone,” they cried, “but please give us food or we will die before your very eyes.”

Pause right there.

When all the money that people have accumulated in the world runs out—what do they do? It says they came right back to speak with Joseph. Joseph, who seemed to be the lowest, was then elevated to be second in command.

But the wisdom that God gave Joseph—not just the dreams and vision—God showed him ahead of time what was going to happen in his life and what was going to take place. And God gave him supernatural wisdom to understand dream interpretation and visions.

And as we see here, now they're in the midst of the famine that he interpreted for Pharaoh. And he not only understood the dream, he also had a plan to go with the interpretation.

God never reveals something to us to keep us in the dark, to make us anxious or fearful or frustrated. There's always a plan attached to what God reveals.

Verse 16:

“Joseph replied, ‘Since your money is gone, bring me your livestock. I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.’”

So they brought the livestock to Joseph in exchange for food. In exchange for their horses, flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle and donkeys, Joseph provided them with food for another year.

But that year ended.

And the next year they came again and said:

“We cannot hide the truth from you, my lord. Our money is gone, and all our livestock and cattle are yours. We have nothing left to give but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your very eyes? Buy us and our land in exchange for food. We offer our land and ourselves as slaves for Pharaoh. Just give us some grain so we may live and not die so that the land does not become empty and desolate.”

Verse 20:

“So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. All the Egyptians sold them their fields because the famine was so severe. And soon all the land belonged to Pharaoh.”

Verse 21:

“As for the people, he made them all slaves from one end of Egypt to the other.”

The wisdom of God not only preserves you—it puts you in position.
Joseph had divine insight. He had a prophetic word.
But what separated him was that he had a plan.

He didn’t just have revelation.
He had strategy.

That’s how you prosper in a famine.