40 days and 40 Nights

Business Trip

I’m going on an extended business trip to London, and I provided my outbound and inbound dates to our travel department. When I received my travel confirmation back, I noticed the duration of my trip was exactly 40 days.

I’m not really religious, but this number gave me a biblical-twitch, and I had to know it’s significance.

Here’s what I found on Beloved Heart website:

40-something

“A 40-something time period, whether days, months, or years is ALWAYS a period of testing, trial, probation, or chastisement (but not judgment) and ends with a period of restoration, revival or renewal.”

Consistency

“Thankfully, God is consistent, so the meaning of a number in Genesis remains the same all the way to the book of Revelation. Sometimes the spiritual significance is not revealed directly, but in the case of “40″ and its many examples throughout the Bible, we can be certain of its importance and significance.”

There are at least ten instances in the Old Testament and New Testament where 40 occurs, either in years or days. But here’s the holy trinity of examples that resonated with me:

Noah’s faith was put to the test when It rained for 40 days and 40 nights (Genesis)

Noah and the 40 days of rain

(I’m traveling to England on my trip, so it’s quite possible [actually even quite probable], that it’s going to rain for 40 days and 40 nights.)

Moses was on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights without bread and water, and by the end of it, the ten commandments were written (Exodus)

(It’s quite possible that my new assignment will give me a head-ache or two. These tablets won’t work for this assignment, so I need to climb to the top of “My Mountain” and devise a couple of my own.)

Jesus spent 40 days and nights in solitude, prayer and fasting in the Judean wilderness (Matthew)

Jesus fasting for 40 days

( Fish and Chips with HP sauce, English Chocolate, Bags of Crisps (marmite flavour please), Pints of cider, Vegetarian Cornish pasties, Chocolate HobNobs, crusty baguette sandwiches for lunch, vegetable korma from the local curry house, Chips and HP sauce. These favourtie foods hardly have the makings of a successful fast…!)