Are you in a season of waiting on God? Whether it’s been 40 days or 40 years, Chuck Tate wants to remind you to stay strong and don’t give up – day 41 is just around the corner. He describes the significance of the number 40 as it relates to waiting on God.
“The number 40; whether there is forty days or forty years, oftentimes represents a season of waiting, a season testing, a season of trial. Everyone can find themselves in a similar season. When you look at scripture, the day 41 or the year 41 delivers a breakthrough, the answer to prayer, a new beginning.”
Chuck says that the number 40 has great significance throughout the Bible. He shares a few examples from the Old Testament,
“In Genesis, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. On the 41st day the rain stopped.”
“Moses committed murder, then he hid on the backside of a desert for 40 years. Year 41 came and Moses received a second chance when he was commissioned by God to be the rescuer of Israel.”
“The children of Israel, after wandering the wilderness for 40 years, 41 came and a new generation entered the Promised Land.”
“Goliath challenged the nation of Israel, the army of Israel for 40 consecutive days; taunting them, bullying them, begging somebody to fight him, and on day 41, David slew Goliath.”
We may think we have reached our breaking point, but we are actually one day closer to our answered prayer. Chuck points us towards testimonies found in the New Testament,
“Jesus fasted and prayed in the wilderness for 40 days. This was a season of preparation to do exactly what He came from heaven to earth to accomplish. The enemy tried to take Him out, tempt Him and trip Him up, before He even began. But He just spoke the word. Day 41 came, the angel showed up, the devil fled, and Jesus launched His epic ministry.”
“Then, Jesus, after going to the cross and being resurrected from the grave, appeared to his disciples and other eye witnesses for 40 days. He commissioned them to plant the church; to begin the church, to advance his kingdom. The disciples went to the upper room. Day 41 came, the Holy Spirit showed up, and the disciples were empowered.”
“Peter got up with boldness and preached the first message – 3,000 people responded and got saved and the church literally exploded. Here we are more than 2,000 years later still talking about it.”
Just as the day of breakthrough came for previous generations, God will come through for you.
Chuck Tate is the founder and lead pastor of RockChurch, a growing and thriving congregation in the heart of Illinois. Before planting RockChurch in 1998, Chuck worked for a national youth ministry in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the author of
41 Will Come
