"So now Pharaoh should look for a wise and discerning man and give him authority over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh should do this - he should appoint officials throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh's authority they should store up grain so the cities will have food, and they should preserve it. This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine."
The Pharaoh of Egypt was provided special guidance from the Lord (through Joseph) as to what would be occurring economically over the next 14 years in his country. This provided him with a huge opportunity to plan for the tough times. Although we do not have ability to look into the future, it is crucial that we focus on being prepared for whatever might occur.
In his book Great By Choice, Jim Collins provides a great example of Roald Amundsen who in 1911 successfully led the first team to reach the South Pole. Prior to his expedition's departure, the preparation that he undertook was very intense and disciplined - which played a huge role in him achieving his goal. To illustrate how he prepared, here is an excerpt from Jim Collins' book:
"While in his late twenties, Roald Amundsen travelled from Norway to Spain for a two-month sailing trip to earn a master's certificate. It was 1899. He had a nearly two-thousand-mile journey ahead of him. And how did Amundsen make the journey? By carriage? By horse? By ship? By rail? - He bicycled.
Amundsen then experimented with eating raw dolphin meat to determine its usefulness as an energy supply. After all, he reasoned, someday he might be shipwrecked, finding himself surrounded by dolphins, so he might as well know if he could eat one.
It was all part of Amundsen's years of building a foundation for his quest, training his body and learning as much as possible from practical experience about what actually worked. Amundsen even made a pilgrimage to apprentice with Eskimos. What better way to learn what worked in polar conditions than to spend time with a people who have hundreds of years of accumulated experience in ice and cold and snow and wind? He learned how Eskimos used dogs to pull sleds. He observed how Eskimos never hurried, moving slowly and steadily, avoiding excessive sweat that could turn to ice in sub-zero temperatures. He adopted Eskimo clothing, loose fitting (to help sweat evaporate) and protective. He systematically practiced Eskimo methods and trained himself for every conceivable situation he might encounter en route to the Pole.
Amundsen's philosophy: You don't wait until you're in an unexpected storm to discover that you need more strength and endurance. You don't wait until you're shipwrecked to determine if you can eat raw dolphin. You don't wait until you're on the Antarctic journey to become a superb skier and dog handler. You prepare with intensity, all the time, so that when conditions turn against you, you can draw from a deep reservoir of strength. And equally, you prepare so that when conditions turn in your favor, you can strike hard."
As Christians, we need to make sure that we focus on the basics in order to be prepared for all future trials and temptations!
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