Biblical numerology of 40: Understand and use it

The number 40 has profound biblical significance. Rain fell for 40 days and nights after Noah built the ark. Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai receiving God’s law. Jesus fasted for 40 days before His ministry started. In each case, God worked powerfully during these 40 days. He used this time to bring about transformation and set eternally consequential events in motion.

Might that be precisely what the Church and Christians worldwide need today? Could God be calling each of us to a period of deep communion and intentional time in His presence?

I certainly think so. And it’s already underway.

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In April, the Barna Group reported that belief in Jesus was rising. This is encouraging, but there is more. All we need to do is look at the witness of Scripture. Belief is never a solitary event. It is an inflection point, a beginning.

Acts 10 tells the story of Cornelius, a respected and God-fearing centurion in the Roman army. God sends him a vision telling him to invite the Apostle Peter to his house. Peter preaches the Gospel and the Holy Spirit is poured out on all believers.

We see similar sequences across the biblical narrative: the blessing and power of the Holy Spirit come after belief.

While this pattern should be the normal state of a believer’s life, too many Christians today are settling for survival. They are content with complacency and checking off boxes. This is not what God has for His people. God is a God of fullness and abundance, with unmatched power leveraged for unparalleled good in the lives of those who trust Him.

Yet, many believers are not living in light of these promises. We often don’t take seriously Jesus’s words that it is better for Him to leave Earth, because if He doesn’t, the Holy Spirit won’t come. The Spirit whom Jesus promises will empower His followers to do greater things than He did.

That is an extraordinary promise. Think about it: What would our world, our nation, our communities, our churches, and our families look like if we lived into this promise? It would be a beautiful rejuvenation of hope, goodness, beauty and life.

I want this for our world, and our world is crying out for it as well. Look around. War, strife, hate, division, and chaos are rampant everywhere. The world is dark, and it’s getting darker.

The message of the Gospel is that light shines brightly in the darkness and darkness cannot overcome the light. This is our responsibility. We are God’s hands and feet on this earth.

However, we will fail if we try to do it on our own. God is the source of our power, hope, and life. His Spirit is what animates and empowers our good work. Psalm 127 says that “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” We cannot try to do God’s work without using the resources He has given us in the Holy Spirit.

Oftentimes, our modern “sensibilities” can get in the way. We can be lulled into thinking that God only worked in miraculous, extraordinary ways in the Bible, that the wonders we read about were for then, not now.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. We serve the same God who kept the widow’s oil jar full, parted the Red Sea, and turned water into wine. In Romans 8, Paul tells his audience that the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead.

That is the power offered to those who believe. It’s not a watered-down version. It is the same transformation-bringing, death-defying power. And I believe God wants His people to reclaim His power. The question is, are we ready?

Are we ready to see God do mighty things in our midst? Are we prepared to see giants slain, the sick healed, and the broken restored?

I am, and so is our world. So, my challenge is this: Over the next 40 days, seek God’s face and ask Him to fill you with a fresh movement of His Spirit. Expect Him to answer. Dare to believe that His promises are still yes and amen.