Last week, we touched on the saying “God will get 40 out of you.” We even talked about it briefly, but you may still find yourself wondering “What is the significance of 40?” Jesus’ wilderness season was 40 days, the Nation of Israel’s was 40 years. Why 40? In Mark 4, we find the parable of the sower. In verses 8 and 20, we read, “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times… Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
And if we do a little math, we find the difference between 60 and 100 is 40. Throughout the Bible the number 40 represents cleansing and purifying (40 days of flooding to cleanse the earth, Moses spent 40 years delivering the Israelites to the Promised Land, God gave the Ninevites 40 days to repent, Elijah spent 40 days without food, and the list goes on). During these times God was cleansing and purifying – these were times of preparation. During these times insecurities and doubts were removed and the oppression of the enemy was broken as the people learned to trust God and He turned each situation around.
The Israelites had been oppressed as slaves for 430 years and the residue of their oppression had to broken off in their lives just like it has to be broken off in our lives. Elijah received the Word of the Lord during his 40 days, and he influenced the next generation. God wants to change our lives but also to change the lives of those who come after us. In our own 40s – may we shorten the lengths of our wilderness seasons by turning quickly to God and learning to trust Him so that we too can break free of the oppression of the enemy and influence the coming generations.
It is crucial that we remember trust is a verb. It is not something we have, but something we demonstrate through our decisions and actions. We must have opportunities to demonstrate our trust and walk it out. The Israelites got their first opportunity the night of the Passover. Their next opportunity came when God told them the first of everything belongs to Him. They were to demonstrate trust by putting Him first in their family, finances, and future. Like the Israelites, God leads us through our own wilderness to give us the opportunity to show our trust in Him. The choice is ours – 40 days or 40 years. How long will it take us to get to the place of full surrender and complete trust in God?