40 Days in the Wilderness

This Bible study has been designed to remind us why we recognize the six weeks before Holy Week as Lent. Between Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday there are 40 days--the same number of days that the Israelites scouted in the Promised Land, the same number of years the Israelites wandered in the desert and the same number of days that Jesus spent in the wilderness/desert after His baptism. We can use this time to reflect on all that God has done for us. Some Christians use this time to "give up something" to remind them of what Jesus "gave up" for us on the Cross. You are welcome to give up something important during this time if you'd like. However, it's not necessary. In the next six weeks we'll be looking at some "wilderness" experiences from scripture and comparing them to some of our own so that the next time we feel "lost in a desert" we will be able to draw encouragement and strength from the scriptures in this study. At the end of each study we'll look at what was "given up" (sometimes for the good and sometimes unnecessarily) because of the wilderness experience. While this study was originally written to be used during the Lenten season, you'll find it appropriate for anytime you'd like to learn more about how and why God uses the wilderness times in our life.