Continuing our discussion about saving for a rainy day, in Genesis 41  just as Joseph had interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, the earth produced heaps for seven years.

Joseph oversaw gathering food on Pharaoh’s behalf and stored it in the cities. So great was the corn, it was “as the sand of the sea,” so plentiful that they couldn’t even count these riches. (Sound familiar? How many of us paused for even a moment to think during the “good old days” that expendable cash might not be a given: nannies, cleaners, charitable giving, daily forays to the mall, buying organic just because we could.)

Then, as suddenly as they began, the seven years of plenty came to an end. Famine struck, but in Egypt there was bread. As the people began to starve, Joseph opened all the storehouses so the Egyptians would have food to buy. Those from other lands traveled to Egypt to buy corn, as the famine was widespread.

How many of us today wish we had set aside a famine fund? How many of us did set aside our “fifth” of provisions only to lose it in the massive stock market sell-off? How many of us wish we were blessed as was Pharaoh with a wise financial adviser like Joseph?