The First 40
A Lenten Meditation
This month's Work These Words will feel different.
We're in the final stretch of Lent, so rather than offering an article this month, I'm offering a meditation—a slower rhythm for a slower season.
Grace & Peace
Sean
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”
Before Jesus preached a sermon, healed a body, or called a disciple—He went into the wilderness.
That was His first move.
He was led there by the Spirit.
Not to escape the world—but to prepare for it.
Not to run from the fight—but to become strong enough for it.
The wilderness was the beginning of everything.
It was His first 40.
This year, Kingdom South stepped into our own first 40.
Our first shared Lent, a journey through the season of reflection, repentance, and reordering.
We didn’t enter a desert, but we’ve been invited into the same deeper work:
To slow down.
To strip away.
To examine our loves, lives, and loyalties.
Not because we’re trying to earn God’s favor.
But because we’re trying to make room to receive it.
Lent has never been about doing more.
It’s about doing less with intention.
Creating holy emptiness.
Letting go of the noise so we can hear the whisper again.
It’s not just about what we’re giving up.
It’s about who we’re becoming.
Jesus didn’t come out of the wilderness with a tan and a testimony.
He came out with clarity and conviction.
That’s what the first 40 did for Him.
That’s what it can do for us.
So if you’re tired, keep walking.
If you’ve stumbled, get back up.
If Lent has revealed more weakness than strength—good.
That means it’s working.
Because the wilderness was never about perfection.
It was always about formation.
We are not trying to impress God.
We are trying to become like Him.
One surrendered day at a time.
One silent prayer at a time.
One honest yes at a time.
We don’t go into the wilderness to find ourselves.
We go to find God again.
And in finding Him,
we find everything else.
Thank you