Why would we take 40 days to prepare for God’s plans? Below are 6 reasons why I believe God thinks 40 days is a good number of days to prepare for something new:
- Noah and the ark endured 40 days and 40 nights of rain. When the flood subsided, Noah and his family, along with the animals, began the process of rebuilding on earth. ~ Genesis 7:4
- Moses spent 40 days alone, on a mountain, talking to God. When he came down, Moses had the tablets containing the 10 Commandments. ~ Exodus 34:28
- Jewish spies spent 40 days evaluating the Promised Land before they thought about taking it as God commanded. ~ Numbers 13:25
- Goliath taunted the army for 40 days before David took action. ~ 1 Samuel 17:16
- Jesus went alone into the desert for 40 days before He began public ministry. ~ Mark 1:13
- After His resurrection from the dead, Jesus spent 40 more days on earth, appearing to hundreds of people, teaching about the Kingdom of God. He used 40 days to prepare people to spread the great news of salvation through faith in Him.
Are you laughing a bit and thinking, “Surely God isn’t planning to use me like He did Noah, Moses, or David!” What’s funny to me is that Noah, Moses, and David thought the same thing. Seriously.
We’ll start our 40 days on October 1. Before Sunday, refresh your memory of how often God used regular, unlikely men and women for His plans.
Never give in to the lie that God’s plans for you are small or not important (cousin Bev, this means you too!).
Whatever God is calling you to do, whether you think it “big” or “small,” you can be certain that the Creator of the universe thought it was important enough to be planted in your heart and whispered into your soul.
Who is your favorite “unlikely” person recorded in the Bible? Why?
I love the story of Ruth. Like me she didn’t grow up knowing God. She married into a family that did.
My sweet mother-in-law taught me much about Him. I’m grateful.
oh me too! Good one!
40 seems to be a good number. Lent lasts 40 days. The term quarantine comes from 40. It is a good number of days to prepare for what we want, to assess a situation, or to dispose of burdens.
It seems you actually did not answer why 40 days but gave examples of events that took 40 days. But why?
I would say technically I don’t know why, but there are enough situations described in the Bible where God used the number 40 for me to consider it must be significant to Almighty God. For what reason, I do not know. I am trusting that Biblical accounts were recorded and have remained to instruct us, guide us, and comfort us. So, if 40 is repeated in the Bible, I am assuming it has significance and I am trusting the Holy Spirit to guide me accordingly.
I know this doesn’t directly answer you question, but at least you know that there isn’t another answer somewhere in the Bible that tells us specifically why 40 days/40 years might be significant. If someone out there knows, please add your comments here!
Blessings and peace,
Kim
40 is a good number to prepare
From my point of view, the number 40 represent the number of days in the site of the Lord for his people as a workshop or as days to be trained in other to complete His Assignment or a special task for him. Starting from day 1, The Lord will be teaching you what to do. This will continue til the last day.
Honestly 40days are the number of days God uses to train and prepare someone to complete his task. I know that all the 40 days assignment in the Bible completed successfully. God uses 40days to train mankind in other to overcome something on the earth.
Great insight. Thank you!