‘41 Will Come’: Just Ask
By Chuck E. Tate
Growing up in church, I heard a lot of sermons preached with an emphasis on the number 40. Numerous passages in the Bible connect the number 40 to periods of trial, testing, or hardship.
Though there’s nothing magical or mystical about the number, and while it’s true that some people place too much stock on biblical numerology, this comes up enough throughout Scripture that we should sit up and take notice. But that’s not our purpose here. Instead, we’re going to zero in on a number that gets a lot less attention—the number that comes after 40. We’re going to see how the number 41 represents a beacon of hope for postponed dreams and promised lands.
FINAL IN A TWO-PART SERIES BY CHUCK E. TATE
Amid the troubles of everyday life, it’s almost as if 41 is shouting, “I got next!”
In the Bible, the number 40 signifies relentless rainfall and never-ending storms. Forty-one resuscitates hope, restores the sunlight, and returns the calm after the storm. Just ask Noah.
Forty exemplifies exile in the far reaches of a scorching desert, with no end in sight. Forty-one wipes the slate clean and gives birth to second chances. Just ask Moses.
Forty symbolizes the consequences of bad decisions and disobedience—and the postponement of promised blessings. Forty-one turns the page on a new chapter, a new calling, a new beginning. Forty-one turns what seemed like a pipe dream into a reality. Just ask the new generation of Israelites who entered the Promised Land.
Forty implies fear and failure, and it represents the devil’s best efforts to disrupt, distract, and destroy the work of God. But 40 also represents times of preparation, as God lays the groundwork for the good works He will one day set before us to walk in. Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days before launching his earthly work. On day 41, He initiated a ministry unlike any other. Forty-one paved the way for teaching, healing, and miracle after miracle—culminating in the greatest miracle of all.
When Jesus rose from the dead, humanity was redeemed, salvation came, and hope was rekindled.
Forty represents a relentless “fee-fi-fo-fum” mantra from the Goliath that’s standing between you and your destiny. Forty-one is smashing fear in the face, stepping onto the battlefield, and slaying the giant that ultimately delivers victory to everyone around you. Just ask David.
During the 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples on several occasions—proving to them that He was alive and breathing new life into them as He explained the Kingdom of God and commissioned them to build it. On day 41, after promising to send the Holy Spirit in His place, He ascended into heaven, leaving the disciples to carry out His plan for launching the church—a church that, by the way, is still prevailing against the gates of hell.
Maybe you’ve been stuck in a downpour or lost in the desert for what has seemed like 40 years. Maybe you’re hiding from an enormous giant—or running away as fast as you can. Maybe you’re so hungry for God to move in your life—or in the life of a son, daughter, mother, father, other family member, or friend—that you can taste it, but it feels as if it’s never going to happen. Do you feel so spiritually empty that you desperately need a fresh start? Have you just about given up on the future because you feel stuck and defined by your past? Here’s the good news: The story’s not over. Forty-one is still out there.
“Forty-one will come” is a declaration of faith that things will get better, the rain will stop, the sun will shine, the day will break, the page will turn, the answer will show up, the pipe dream will become reality, the Promised Land will be inhabited, and the giant will fall.
Are you ready? It’s no accident that you’re reading this. My prayer for you is that you will be challenged, inspired, and encouraged—and more than anything else, that your faith in Christ will make you strong and keep you strong, so that when the dust settles after the storm, you will still be standing.
Chuck E. Tate is a pastor, podcaster (Revival Town Podcast), and the author of ‘41 Will Come.’ A portion of this article was used with permission from Tyndale House Publishers.