The famine got worse. When they had eaten all the food they had brought
back from Egypt, their father said, "Go back and get some more food." Genesis 43:1-2 (TM)

In one of my college acting classes, groups of actors were given a generic conversation and told to create a story for the lines and act it out. One of the groups got up and went through the lines, but it was boring and vague. The problem? The story they created had no conflict. Without conflict there was no motivation for the characters. Without conflict or motivation there was no interest.

Art imitates life. Like all great stories in books, on stage or screen, life always involves conflict. Conflict makes the story interesting and motivates the characters into action. Bad times force us into action – they move us forward in character and life. Without the famine, Jacob never would have sent Benjamin to  Egypt or have been reunited with his son, Joseph. The famine had purpose.

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at
you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is
forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out
of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and
well-developed, not deficient in any way. James 1:2-3 (TM)