Managing your midnight.

Good evening,

Our scripture for tonight is coming from Acts 16 chapter and verses 25 -26.  I will be reading the King James Version.

Acts 16:25-26  

25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

Charles R. Swindoll said, “Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it”.  This statement highlights that although some events in life are beyond our control, we can decide how to respond and adjust our attitudes toward these events. As mature believers, we need to know how to deal with midnight crisis.  I want to title this sermon as how to manage your midnight crisis. 

When we examine this passage of the scripture, we see Paul and Silas are dealing with a midnight crisis that occurred in their lives.  It is a crisis because their lives changed in an instance.  They were on their way to church. Now, they are locked up in prison.  Have you ever experienced a life altering event that changed your life in an instance? For example, your boss calls you into his office and informs you that today will be your last day of employment with them.  We would consider that as a life altering event.  But all is not lost.  However, there is hope. Paul and Silas offer valuable strategies that can be implemented in our lives today to address crises effectively and maturely. 

Let’s begin to uncover those strategies by looking at the ‘a” part of verse 25.  It says, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God”.  This teaches us that in order to handle your midnight crisis we must make the most out of our bad situation. They couldn’t get out. So, they invited God in. Their movement may have been restricted.  However, their voices weren’t. They offered up praises to God. Praising God is always in order.   Psalm34:1 say I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  At all times means the good times as well as the bad times.  As mature Christians, we know that God is worthy of our praises regardless of our circumstances.  Let’s revisit the example of losing your job. How can you make the most of that bad situation?  You say to yourself; well on the bright side, now, I have more time to spend with my family, more time to start my own business or more time to go back to school.

Now, that we have discovered that we can manage our midnight crisis by making the most out of our bad situation, let’s journey on to see what other strategies Paul and Silas give us to ensure that we respond to our crisis in a mature manner. The good news for us is that we don’t need to journey far.  The next helpful hint can be found in the “b” part of verse 25. It says, “and the prisoners heard them.”  This teaches us that in order to handle your midnight crisis we must manage our emotions because others are observing us.  Given their circumstances, Paul and Silas would have been justified with a bitter response. Remember their act of kindness (casting the demon out of the damsel) backfired. They were falsely accused, beaten and put in prison.  How would you react if your act of kindness was misinterpreted negatively?  As mature believers, it is important not to respond to challenges based on feelings and emotions. Paul and Silas exemplified this by choosing to pray and praise God rather than reacting negatively to their situation.  As sons and daughters of God, folks are always watching us. People (especially those who are in the same midnight crisis as us) are looking to see if our actions agree with the faith we claim to profess. 

Matthew 5:14-16:

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

These scriptures tell us we have an obligation to lead the way for others. Our circumstances provide us with an opportunity to demonstrate resilience and to share valuable insights with those around us.    

Think back to the example of losing your job.  As you are leaving your boss’s office with your pink slip in hand, you notice that some of your co-workers have the same pink slip as you do.  As you pass them, you stop, smile and encourage them.  You tell them that we don’t have to worry because God got us.  This ain’t the first time and it won’t be the last time that He will make a way out of no way.   Everything is going to be alright. 

We have learned that we can manage out midnight crisis by making the most out of a bad situation and by managing our emotion.  The last strategy can be found in verse 26. It says, “And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.” This teaches us that in order to handle your midnight crisis we must wait for the miracle in our midnight.It was their actions of prayer and praise that invited the movement of God into their situation.  Psalms 22:3 tells that God inhabits the praises of his people.  Since they turned their midnight crisis over to God, their next option meant that they had to wait on God to deliver them. There is an old phrase that says if you put everything in God’s hands, you can find God’s hands in everything.  Once we placed it in God’s hands, we must wait patiently for God to reply.  Yes, waiting on God’s timing is hard.  However, we must trust and believe that God’s time is always perfect. We hold fast to the promises of God.   Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”.  This scripture reinforces the reason why we are to wait patiently God.  Because all things will work out for our good and His glory for them who are called according to his purpose. 

Again, back to the scenario of losing your job.  You prayed and praised God. Your emotions are under control. And you have placed your situation into God’s hands.  Now, you are patiently waiting to see how God is going to work it out.  The next day, you check your email.  There is an offer for a better job with better pay.  Better than the one you had.  Look at God.

For those of us who are going through a midnight crisis that is good news.  We don’t have to lose hope.  If we hold on to God’s unchanging hands, things will work out for our good and God’s glory.  

Charles R. Swindoll is right when he said, “Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it”.  While we cannot control some of the events that occur, I am grateful that we can choose how to respond to our midnight crises. And when we manage our midnight crisis by making the most out of our bad situation, manage our midnight by controlling our emotion and by waiting on our miracle, our midnight doesn’t seem so dark after all.