BN = "Barang Naik" & Food Crisis - We Need More "Joseph Anointing"

Before the March 2008 General Elections, a joke was circulating that the acronym for the ruling party Barisan Nasional - BN means "Barang Naik" (everything increase). True to its election "nickname", the BN's leader, Abdullah Badawi today announced a price increase of 78 sen per litre for petrol and Rm1 per litre for diesel. Next, he announced an 18% increase in tariff rates for electricity. We are really in a time of chaos economically having seen price increases in price of rice, flour, petrol, electricity and what else ? (I have lost count). :-(

In today's TheStar newspaper, the United Nations Chief warns of a "Food Crisis". He says that production of food must be up by 50% before 2030 to avert a food crisis. Will the food crisis menacing the lives of millions ease up, or grow worse ? The answer may be both as the stomachs of the hungry must also compete with the empty fuel tanks.

If one earns less than RM1,000 a month and have a family of 4, they are close to becoming paupers even if they ride a motorbike to work. With the meager income which goes to rental, food and fuel, there would be a "struggle" as to where and how to stretch the ringgit. These are hard times we are living in and what comes to memory is a famine which happened many many years ago globally.

There was a global famine and prior to that happening, God gave dreams to an Egyptian Pharaoh who did not know how to interpret those dreams. In one of those dreams, he dreamt that out of the river Nile came 7 cows fat and sllek and after them came 7 other cows ugly and skinny and they ate up th 7 fat cows. The second dream was : 7 heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After that another 7 thin and scorched swallowed up the healthy ones. He could not interpret but a man of God named Joseph could.

He interpreted that the dreams are one and the same. There will be 7 years of plenty (those fat cows and healthy grain) followed by 7 years of famine (the other 7 thin cows and thin grain). God was warning the most powerful King of that era and time to get ready for severe famine. As Joseph's interpretation sounded right, Pharaoh appointed him Prime Minister, 2nd in command, over the land to manage food production and stock up for the lean years.

Yes, in these "lean years", let us pray that the powers that be has the "Joseph Anointing" and that all the world leaders will have wisdom to manage food production, natural resources, economy and human capital well. God is still on the throne ! Do not lose heart !