Joseph and the Grain

Genesis 41–45

Our true story comes from a part of the Bible called Genesis. The word genesis means “the beginning.”

In our last story, we talked about a man named Joseph.


Joseph’s dad gave him a very special coat, which made his brothers VERY mad! 


So, Joseph's brothers sent Joseph far away to work.


Then Joseph was sent to jail for something he didn’t even do!


Do you think Joseph still trusted God even though it was hard? Yes, he did! And God’s plans for Joseph weren’t finished, yet.


The king of Egypt, named Pharaoh, had a crazy dream, and he didn’t know what it meant.


Pharaoh heard that Joseph was very good at understanding dreams . . .


. . . so, Pharaoh had Joseph brought to the palace to talk to him.


Joseph was happy to talk to the king about his dream.


Joseph listened to Pharaoh and God helped Joseph understand the dreams.


Joseph told Pharaoh to save food for seven years because, after that, there would be seven years when NO food would grow.


Pharaoh was SO happy that Joseph helped him that he put Joseph in charge!


Joseph got to work saving food in Egypt for seven years. It was all part of God's plans.


Let’s count to seven together. One . . .


Two . . .


Three . . .


Four . . .


Five . . .


Six . . .


Seven! Joseph saved up so much food during those seven years. 


And that was good because just as God said, the food stopped growing.


And everyone needed food . . .


. . . including Joseph’s family. Joseph had a BIG family with LOTS of brothers! And they didn’t have any food.


Who saved up all the food in Egypt? Yes, their brother Joseph! Joseph forgave his brothers for what they did to him . . .


. . . and Joseph made sure everyone in his family had food.


Yay, Joseph! Joseph trusted God’s plans for him even when it was hard. And yay, God! God had a good plan for Joseph and his family, and God has good plans for you and me, too!






Bible Verse: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. —Jeremiah 29:11, NLT

Text Truth: God’s plans are always best.



Family Devotional

“You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”
—Genesis 45:12-13

In our Bible story, we learned that God’s plans are always best. It was hard for Joseph to be away from his family. It was hard for Joseph to be in jail for something he didn’t do. It was hard for Joseph to talk to Pharaoh and tell him what to do. But Joseph trusted that God’s plans are always best, and Joseph did what God told him to do. 

Do you remember what wonderful thing was also a part of God’s plans for Joseph? Yes! Joseph’s family came to live with him, and everyone had plenty of food too!

God knows the plans He has for you. Some plans may feel really hard. And some plans may feel really easy. No matter what, we can trust that God’s plans are best.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. —Jeremiah 29:11, NLT

With your family, make a list of your favorite foods. You can use your list when you pray. Write down each family member’s name next to their favorite food.

Pray with your family. Allow any family members to pray if they wish. In your own words, say, “Dear God, Thank You for foods like (read the list your family made). Thank You for letting us hear about Joseph’s story and how You used him to make sure A LOT of people had food. Please help (name each family member) trust that Your plans are always best, even when they’re hard. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
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Story illustrations are the copyright of Sweet Publishing and licensed by FreeBibleimages (http://freebibleimages.org) for free download under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike 3.0 unported license.
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