Mastering Your Midnight

The New International Version Chapter 16

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Many of us will have our very own midnight experience. As a matter of fact, it is at those midnight experiences where our faith becomes experiential and no longer theoretical. None of us have faith of our own, we all have what is called vicarious faith. It is faith that is borrowed, faith that we received from Sunday School, Sunday Morning, Vacation Bible School, we utilize faith that was given to us by someone else.

When we have a midnight experience, it will cause for us to experience God in a new and experiential way. The ways and mean of God become more real and we see the beauty and the excellence of the provision of God.

Paul and Silas have been imprisoned, wrongly, at least from a certain point of view. It is true they "advocate customs that are not lawful" in the Roman Empire (Acts 16:20–21). Specifically, they are spreading the worship of a deity—Jesus—that is not authorized by the Roman government. In truth, their accusers charged them for financial reasons. Paul expelled a demon from a slave girl. The girl lost the ability to tell fortunes, and her owners lost the ability to use her to make money (Acts 16:16–19).

Has it ever seemed like you’ve done what you’re supposed to do, and yet you still end up dealing with some difficulties? You come to church, you pay your tithes and you do what’s necessary, but yet you still end up dealing with some difficult circumstances? That’s what Paul and Silas were dealing with. They’ve been faithful, and yet they find themselves in their own midnight experience. Paul and Silas give us a blueprint on how to handle our midnight.

*Called by God

*Context of Worship

*Consider the Witnesses

Called by God

“Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.” Acts 16:24 ESV

As I was reading this text, I was intrigued with the facts that they weren’t disgruntled. Paul and Silas weren’t upset at Good being in this situation. f we examine Paul’s case, we can see that God definitely called him from Turkey to Greece (Acts 16:9-10), and when he crossed the Aegean Sea, he ended up at Philippi and began to preach the gospel, winning men and women to Christ, and proceeding to establish a church in that city. Paul’s one great calling was to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you don’t believe in the sovereignty of God, then you’ll probably be bitter and angry and very discouraged. If you don’t believe in a God who numbers the hairs on your head (Matthew 10:30), then you may think that something terrible has happened to you. But if you believe in the sovereignty of God, then you know that nothing can happen to you by accident.

God’s sovereignty is his complete and absolute rule, control, and power over all things. God has decreed all that has ever happened and ever will happen and ultimately brings about all things he has purposed. He has total control of all things past, present and future. Nothing happens that is out of His knowledge and control. All things are either caused by Him or allowed by Him for His own purposes and through His perfect will and timing…. He is the only absolute and omnipotent ruler of the universe and is sovereign in creation, providence and redemption.

Paul and Silas understood that because God called them to this ministry, because God called them to this place, and this moment, it was not an accident, but it was the Will of God. When we experience situations and difficulties, that is the hand of God us keeping us and covering us, directing us. It is our troubles that allow us to glorify God in our responses. In my midnight experience, I am not disgruntled, I am not frustrated, I am not upset, I have an unusual peace because I know who called me.

To add to that, later on the Apostle Paul says, “ and we know that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 16:25) I’m able to have peace in my midnights because I know who called me. God uses all things! {cinnamon analogy}

Context of Worship

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”

Acts 16:25 ESV

Paul and Silas are in this roman prison, and in response to this difficulty in their life, they begin to worship. That is such an interesting response. They realized that they were called by God, so they decided that being disgruntled was pointless. They decide to life their hands up in worship. But in this verse, I want us to notice the context of their worship. Look closely at the 25th verse, it did not say that they worshipped in hopes of being delivered or even being able to escape, it only says that they lifted their voices to God in worship.

Imagine this, praising God! That is the meaning of the word “praying” used here. They were not asking for anything; they were praising God and singing hymns. They were not faking either. Their backs were raw and bloody, they were covered with wounds, they had suffered a great injustice, but they exhibited no self-pity or resentment. They were facing agonizing uncertainty. They did not know this delivering earthquake was coming. But at midnight they began praising God and singing hymns. I do not know what they sang. In this specific moment, they were not operating in transactional worship.

Transactional Worship: Many of us happily and hopefully announce that we are praying more, giving more charity, and increasing in other righteous deeds as an important interview, exam, or deadline approaches. We believe that if we embellish our acts of worship for a few weeks, God will grant us whatever we desire. Regardless of whether we successfully acquire our intended ends, the same trend usually follows: a downward trajectory of our spiritual dedication to God. It’s hard to understand why this happens, but upon reflection, a sobering realization surfaces: we were praying for the sake of worldly gains rather than out of sincere devotion to God. The first problem in engaging in such a transaction is the potential invalidity of our acts of worship.

Transactional worship will only lead to a disappointment in God, because now we are worshipping with hopes of getting something. Worshipping with ulterior motives is a disservice to God. Our worship should not be transactional, but it should be transformative.

Matter of fact, when we are in our midnight experiences; our should transform us. Worship awakens a desire to change by challenging our spiritual status quo. Certain hymns and praise choruses, when taken seriously, are guaranteed to rock your boat. Worship challenges us to take an honest look within. When we are worshipping in the midst of our midnight experiences, there should something that changes in the inside of us. When we worship, we ought not hope to have our circumstances changed, but we ought to have worship so that God can change us. Every so often, we worship so that way God can transform us and make us new in the midst of what we’re going through! (Begin singing)

Consider the Witness

“and the prisoners were listening to them, and 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 bonds were unfastened.”

Acts 16:25b–26 ESV

They’re called by God, they have a certain context of worship, and Paul and Silas considered the witnesses. Again, notice what the text says, “the other prisoners were listening to them.” I love the way Luke writes this particular passage, he didn’t say that just some other people heard them, he didn’t say that other jailers heard them, he says that other prisoners heard them. Meaning that other people who are going through their own midnight experience, heard Paul and Silas.

Notice that their worship and praise was not predicated on what time it would take place, their worship was predicated on the God who could make it happen. When you are going through your midnight experience, people are looking at you and gaining hope and inspiration for themselves. Others are looking at you, and are amazed at your composure in the midst of some unusual pressure. Acts 16:26 says, that suddenly, there was an earthquake, meaning that some things God will do suddenly, but other things God will do eventually.

But even in the difficulties of life and in the hardships of your midnight experience, consider that others are watching you and looking at your composure. Whether God does something suddenly or eventually, I will remain in my posture because I know that late in the midnight hour, God will turn it around!

Close: Late in the midnight hour, God will turn it around in your favor!

Ooh Child, Five Stairsteps

Ooh child

Things are gonna get easier

Ooh child

Things'll get brighter

Ooh child

Things are gonna get easier

Ooh child

Things'll get brighter