Why is Lent 40 days long?
February 11, 2016//
Topics to Dig Into
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”Matthew 4:1-4 (NLT)
The 40 days of Lent reflect the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing Himself for ministry.
Jesus was alone with God in prayer and fasting. No distractions. It reinforced Jesus’ dependence on God alone, hyper-aligned His purpose to God’s will, and strengthened His spirit for the mission ahead.
While I’m sure these 40 days were grueling, Jesus emerged with laser focus. In response to every temptation, Jesus whips out the sword of scripture to fend off the attack.
Could the next 6 weeks be the same for you?
Will you expose all your shortcomings and accepting God’s forgiveness?
Will you intentionally spend time in prayer aligning your life to His will, renewing your dedication to His purpose, and believing He will fully equip you?
Will you emerge refreshed and laser focused?
Here’s an interesting note about the 40 days of Lent. There are actually 44 calendar days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. “Why?” you ask. The Jewish Sabbath is Saturday, but when Jesus rose on a Sunday, his followers moved the Sabbath to Sunday and declared every Sunday a day of celebration, a mini-Easter with no fasting. Therefore, only 6 days per week count toward the 40 day total. And now
you know….
you know….
#SeedsofScripture #prepare #Lent #40days
Spend a few minutes to plant a quick Seed. Or stay longer and plant a whole garden.
