Just 40 Days

I have been studying the story of Elijah. It was a story I knew well, once upon a time, but time has a way of making me forget the things I once knew by heart, if I do not keep them fresh in my mind. It is such a good story!

In 1 Kings 19, we find the prophet Elijah at one of the lowest points in his life. After the great victory on Mount Carmel, where God sent fire from heaven and proved Himself greater than Baal, I think Elijah expected revival to sweep through Israel. Instead, Queen Jezebel threatened his life, and the prophet fled into the wilderness, discouraged, afraid, and ready to give up.

Exhausted, Elijah lay down under a broom tree and prayed to die. But God had other plans! Twice, an angel woke him, giving him bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water. The angel’s words were simple but powerful:

“And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.” 1 Kings 19:7, 8 ESV.

Those two meals, provided by God, miraculously sustained Elijah for forty days of travel through the desert! That was no ordinary food; it was a supernatural provision. Oh, how I need that same provision.

The forty days are significant. There seems to be a pattern in Scripture.

Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai in the presence of God without eating or drinking; the very mountain Elijah was heading to!

Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness as He prepared to begin His ministry.

It rained for 40 days and 40 nights in the story of the flood.

The spies in Canaan searched the land for 40 days.

Goliath taunted Israel’s army for 40 days before David faced him.

In the story of Jonah and the whale, Jonah proclaimed, “Forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples for 40 days before ascending to heaven.

It seems forty often marks a period of testing, trial, or preparation leading to something new that God is doing.

Elijah's story reminds me that when the journey is too much for me, God provides the strength I need. His provision may look simple, such as bread and water, but it carries supernatural power when it comes from His hand.

When life feels overwhelming, remember: the same God who sustained Elijah is able to sustain you. His strength is made perfect in our weakness, and sometimes, one “meal” of His Word or one touch of His presence can carry us farther than we ever imagined.

God’s provision is always enough. Something to think about.