Can we talk about midnight? About that time of day that has been called “the witching hour,” “the middle of the night,” and “the dead of night?”
What if midnight is more an opportunity than an oppression? What if people are watching us in the dark, hoping that we’ll give them glimpses of light? What if we saw midnight the same way Paul and Silas did: as a time to praise our God?
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. (Acts 16:25, emphasis mine)
We often think that people pay attention to us when we’re celebrating, but Paul and Silas knew that people pay more attention to what we do in the dark, at midnight.
“The other prisoners were listening to them…”
Perhaps you’re facing a midnight season, a dark night of the soul? A time when it appears that God is as far away from you as the outside of the prison was from Paul and Silas? Can I remind you that you’re being watched? I don’t mean that as some strong-armed threat to perform for the masses, but rather as an encouragement that what you do now in this dark season will go a long way toward bringing freedom to the ones who are taking notice of you.
People always watch followers of Jesus when Jesus leads those followers into hard places. Why? Because they want to know that what we’ve said is true is actually true! When you and I stand firm in our faith and our praise in the very hour that it seems hopeless, people receive hope and freedom.
So, about midnight. It’s not the middle of the night, but rather the beginning of the next day. It’s the threshold we cross over on our way to freedom and victory, and when we break through the midnight hour with praise, we lead a host of others who were always hoping that someone would stand strong, not just at noon, or suppertime, but about midnight, too.
Photo by Adrian Dascal on Unsplash
