Living Water #616

LIVING WATER – EPISODE 616 || 10TH FEBRUARY, 2026

By Solomon Uwumbolibe Mensah

WISDOM BEFORE THE CRISIS

Genesis 41:5-7

“He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted; thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.”

There are moments when God speaks before trouble arrives, not to frighten us but to prepare us. In Genesis 41, Pharaoh is not a worshiper of the God of Israel, yet God speaks to him anyway, showing that God’s purposes go beyond personal devotion to touch nations, economies, and generations. This passage teaches us that dreams can be warnings, wisdom is provision, and preparation is an act of faith.

Joseph had been in prison for years—forgotten, delayed, and seemingly abandoned—until Scripture says, “When two full years had passed,” signaling that God’s timing had fully matured. Pharaoh dreamed twice: seven fat cows eaten by seven gaunt cows, and seven healthy heads of grain swallowed by seven thin, scorched heads. The repetition confirms that the message was established by God and would surely come to pass.

1.     God Warns Before He Allows Crisis: God does not ambush nations with disaster, because the famine did not arrive suddenly but was revealed seven years in advance through dreams that showed both abundance and lack. This reveals a key principle: God often reveals the problem before He reveals the solution, yet many enjoy the fat cows while ignoring the thin ones. When life is good, prosperity should not be treated as permission to relax but as an opportunity to prepare.

2. Abundance Without Wisdom Leads to Destruction: The fat cows did not fight back and the healthy grain did not resist, showing that abundance without strategy is vulnerable. Plenty alone does not guarantee survival; only stored wisdom does, because Egypt could have wasted seven years of overflow in celebration but instead turned surplus into security. Income without discipline fails, anointing without structure collapses, blessings without stewardship disappear, and God watches not what we receive but how we manage it.

3.     God Raises Prepared People for Critical Seasons: Pharaoh had dreams without interpretation, while Joseph had interpretation without position, and God aligned both at the right time. Joseph’s years of rejection, discipline, and hidden faithfulness were not punishment but preparation, because when famine came, Egypt did not need enthusiasm but administration. If you feel hidden, know that God may be training you for a season you have not yet entered, and preparation often precedes promotion.

4. The Same Source Produced Plenty and Famine: Both the fat and thin cows came from the Nile, and both the healthy and scorched grain came from the same field, teaching that the difference was not the source but the season. God rules over good times and hard times, and although seasons change, God remains sovereign. Therefore, we must not curse God in famine if we praised Him in abundance, because the same God who blesses also teaches restraint.

Pharaoh woke up disturbed because the future had spoken, and God was warning against consuming everything, ignoring warning signs, and assuming tomorrow would be like today. Joseph’s wisdom preserved Egypt, surrounding nations, Jacob’s family, and ultimately the lineage of the Messiah. Preparation today has the power to preserve generations tomorrow.

Call to Action
Each of us must ask what we are doing with our seasons of abundance, whether we are storing wisdom, resources, faith, and discipline, and whether we are spiritually prepared for a changing season. This is not the time to waste; it is the time to store.

 Prayer
Father, give us eyes to see ahead and hearts to prepare wisely, teaching us stewardship in abundance and faith in scarcity. Position us, like Joseph, to preserve lives and fulfill Your purpose, in Jesus’ name, Amen.