DAY 40/40 – FORTY DAYS ON THE ROAD: WHAT REMAINS

Looking back – the journey with God

Life is like a journey. There is much to discover, we meet new companions, and each stage brings its own experiences. Pilgrimage means setting out on a path. Last year, I embarked on a reflective forty-day pilgrimage to draw closer to God.

At first, I walked briskly. But I soon realized that these forty days were not a fixed itinerary, but a shared journey with God – a God who seeks humanity, speaks to us, faithfully accompanies us, and guides us through time.

I sensed the need to slow down. Pauses became necessary to process what I had encountered and to let it take root within me. With each contribution, the awareness grew that God himself was increasingly taking the lead.

Relationship, guidance, hope

What became clear to me – and to us along the way – was God’s deep desire for relationship. God seeks relationship because he is love. As John 3:16 reminds us:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God is a merciful God who longs for us to find our way home. Jesus illustrated this in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15). The son set out on his own journey and lost his way, yet the father waited patiently for his return. This image offers a glimpse of how our heavenly Father waits for us.

Throughout these forty days, God led us on a path that nurtured trust and carried us through the seasons and the biblical festivals. Step by step, we were invited to participate and to come to know him more deeply. A common thread became increasingly clear: it was not primarily about individual topics or doctrinal questions, but about the relationship between God and humanity.

God calls us, guides us, takes us by the hand, and protects us. He shapes our identity, awakens hope, and remains faithful to his promises.

Whether through the biblical festivals, questions of repentance and trust, or our orientation toward the coming Kingdom of God, one truth kept emerging: the path of faith is a pilgrimage – a journey with God, who heals, prepares, and leads us toward the Messianic hope.

Perceived differences

Along the way, we encountered the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Once again, I became aware that the Christian faith is rooted in the Jewish faith in God, YHWH. There is a deep connection between Jewish, Messianic Jewish, and Christian faiths, as Jesus himself pointed out (John 5:46). Jews and Christians share faith in the same God and the first part of the Bible, the Tanakh.

While Jews continue to await the Messiah, Messianic Jews and Christians recognize Yeshua (Jesus) as the promised Messiah. Messianic Jews often differ from many Christians primarily through their Jewish way of life, such as observing Shabbat and the biblical festivals.

In this journey, differences became more visible – between Jewish faith, Messianic Jewish hope, and Christian tradition. Yet more powerful than the differences was what we held in common: the one God who loves, calls, saves, guides, heals, and directs us toward his kingdom.

What remains

What remains after these forty days?

„I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?“ (Ps 121,1)

No ready-made answers and no completed doctrine.

What remains is the awareness that God calls us onto a path – and that this path is always one of relationship. What remains is the experience that God faithfully guides us and keeps us secure in him, even when we slow down, pause, or leave questions unanswered.

What remains is the hope that his saving work is not finished, but leads us toward his coming kingdom.

These forty days do not mark an endpoint, but a stage on a greater pilgrimage. I look back with gratitude – and continue on the journey, trusting that God already knows the next steps.