Acts 16:25, "But at midnight Paul and Silas..."
Have you ever had a “midnight experience”? Sound like a strange question? Some have said that midnight is more than simply when the clock strikes 12 a.m. it’s when life comes to you in its darkest form. When everything you were holding on to begins to crumble and you are powerless to stop it.
– It’s at midnight that fear begins to creep in. It’s at midnight when doubts begin to creep in.
The question that each of us must answer is, “What do we do in our midnight experiences?”I want you to imagine with me for just a few moments. You are walking down the street. You are overjoyed with the Spirit of God in your heart. You have been sharing Christ, people have been placing their faith in Jesus and you are simply beside yourself with the Joy of the Lord! You are headed to a prayer meeting and you are coming up on a stretch of the neighborhood where a young lady, a psychic has her business and she is not the least bit happy that you have been telling people about Christ. In fact, for days she has been mocking you when you walk down the street.
And just like the days before, as you approach her corner, there is she is and she begins to mock you. Your joy turns to frustration. A few minutes ago, you felt like you were walking on air, and now you feel like you have concrete in your shoes. Your laughter has turned to a sigh and just then, without any warning or hesitation, you turn to her and say, “In the Name of Jesus, come out of her!” and before your very eyes you see this young lady’s countenance change, the devil looses his hold on her heart and she is set free!
You shout, Hallelujah! Just then, two big, burley men grab you from behind and take you to prison for disturbing the peace. They charge you with a “hate-crime” for pushing your views and values on the young lady.
Think this is a fictional story? It’s not, it happened just like that to the Apostle Paul and his friend Silas and is recorded in the 16th chapter of Acts. Verse 25 tells us how Paul and Silas responded, “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…”
They cried out to the God of Heaven and sang songs of inspiration. Often, hymns are testimonies or sermons placed to music. They are not generally sang to God, but about God. For example, “Victory in Jesus.” It’s not a song of praise to the Lord, but rather a song to fellow believers encouraging them to celebrate the one who gives them the victory!
I can just imagine Paul lifting up his voice in prayer and Silas singing of the God who gives them the victory! I love the next line in the verse, “…and the prisoners were listening to them.” People are watching to see how we respond when we experience those dreaded midnight moments in our lives. They want to see if we truly believe and trust in the God we profess.
Here are some good quotes I found: “Prayer is the only omnipotence God grants to us.”And: “Pray and believe and you will receive, pray and doubt and do without…”
Not only do we need to pray and encourage ourselves through singing the hymns of the faith, but we need to remind ourselves that if need be, our God can literally shake the foundations!
Acts 16:26, “Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.”
This is why we pray…God can shake the very foundations! He is not limited to the physical world! Friend, He created the physical world! Remember Genesis 1:1, John 1: 1-14
When we pray, we must remind ourselves that we are praying to the Alpha and the Omega, the Creator of all things and that He and He alone has power over every situation! What is your situation? In what way do you need God to move on your behalf? God is Able!!!
Great Quote: “Prayer moves the hand that moves the world!”Prayer is our greatest privilege, but far too often it is also our greatest failure. There are many wonderful things we can do, but there is no substitute for prayer!
