Preparing for Lent: Why 40 Days

Joni Lynn Schwartz
Jan 30
2 min read

Updated: Feb 1

I had an aha moment this week, but let me back up.

Lent is a couple of weeks away. Lent lasts 40 days, and yes—that’s 40 days not counting Sundays. Sundays are considered celebration days, so they don’t count toward the total.

Because of that, I started looking at 40 days in the Bible.

Here are three that stood out to me.

Moses — 40 days on the mountain

Moses spends 40 days and nights with God on Mount Sinai—not once, but twice. No food. No water. He’s not running on his own strength. He’s receiving instruction and direction from God.

“Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights…” Exodus 34:28

Exodus 24:9–18 — first trip
Exodus 32:1–14 — the Israelites were up to no good while Moses was on the mountain
Exodus 34:1–35 — second trip

Elijah — 40 days to Horeb (Mountain of God)

Elijah is exhausted and discouraged. God feeds him, then sends him on a 40-day journey. The point isn’t the distance—it’s that God meets him when he’s running on empty.

“Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights…” 1 Kings 19:8

1 Kings 19:1–18

Jesus — 40 days in the wilderness

Before Jesus begins His ministry, He spends 40 days in the wilderness fasting. He faces temptation and hunger, but He stays grounded in the truth of God’s Word. Jesus is also brought to a high mountain during this time (Matthew 4:8).

“After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” Matthew 4:2

Matthew 4:1–11
Mark 1:9–13
Luke 4:1–13

What I keep noticing is that these 40-day seasons aren’t about people digging deep or proving discipline. They’re about dependence.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6

That’s what I want to focus on during Lent this year.

And here was my aha moment:

Moses, Elijah, and Jesus all meet later in the Bible—at the Transfiguration. Three men who each had a 40-day journey. Three men with mountaintop experiences. God brings them together on another mountain to declare this:

“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’” Matthew 17:5

Read the full account:

Matthew 17:1–8
Mark 9:2–8
Luke 9:28–36

All three had walked their own 40-day journeys. All three knew what it meant to depend on God. And in that moment, God makes it clear—Jesus isn’t just another part of the story. He’s the fulfillment of it.

That’s how I’m heading into Lent this year: a 40-day journey of depending on God.

Here’s the challenge for the week:

Dust off your Bible (like Josiah Queen’s song) and spend time reading about Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. What does God want to show you?

If you're looking for more ways to prepare for Easter, I’ve written about Lent and Easter in past years too.