“Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the outcome of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials.” – Smith Wigglesworth
Each evening, I read my thought for the day to my wife. Last night, as I was reading her my thought on ATTITUDE, I could not help but notice the number 40 that I had highlighted in bold. As I said yesterday, 40 is the number of days that USACE has been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each time I looked at my thought the “Today, marks day 40” stood out to me. My original intent was solely to highlight the fact that we have been rowing hard for 40 days now. As I looked at my thought for the last night time last night, I believe God reminded me of the significance of the number of 40 in the Bible.
Did you know that the number 40 appears in the Bible approximately 146-159 times, depending on the translation you use? Any time the Bible mentions a number that many times, it is not a coincidence. God uses that number intentionally. On many occasions throughout the Bible, the number 40 is associated with testing, hardships, and judgments one must endure to become more spiritually aware. Let’s look at some of the major events it is used.
- God destroyed every living thing on earth by flooding it for 40 days (Genesis 7-8).
- The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years (Exodus 16:35).
- Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights, on two different occasions, receiving God’s laws (Exodus 24:18, 34:1-28).
- The spies returned after 40 days of spying on the promise land (Numbers 13:25; 14:34).
- Ezekiel laid on his right side for 40 days to “bear the iniquity” of Judea’s sins (Ezekiel 4:6).
- Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days before David defeated him (1 Samuel 17:16).
- Three kings reigned for 40 years each: Saul, David and Solomon.
- Moses, Elijah and Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days each. *The examples above are only a few of the number 40 listed in the Bible. So, what’s your point, Chaplain? Are you saying that USACE and our Nation is being tested, and now that we are now at day 41 that we are done with the test? No, this is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that tests, trials, and temptations come into our lives, and when they do come, they more often than not come into our lives for a reason. This is a fact. James, writing to the early church, said, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4). Paul, writing to the church in Corinth in response to these tests, trials, and temptations, said that “
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
USACE, in conclusion, we know that tests, trials, and temptations will come. That is a given. We also know that these test, trials, and temptations are nothing new to humankind. Others have faced/are facing much more difficult situations than we are today. Despite our present circumstances, we still live in a free country. Please be encouraged that despite our circumstances, we have the perfect example in Jesus Christ.
Tomorrow, we will continue this thought by looking at Jesus’ temptation after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights (Matthew 4:1-11).
Blessings,
Chaplain Brad Baumann