Praise Him in the Midnight Hour!

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard 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 every one's bands were loosed. Acts16:25-26.

Are you going through a figurative midnight hour of your life? That would be a time when darkness surrounds you, perhaps the darkness of sickness and disease, depression, financial pressure or relationship issues. The darkness lies to you, telling you that light will never come and that the circumstances of the time will never improve. But as a son of Abba, father, we look to the Word and see that light always comes, and when it does, it dispels the darkness! Darkness must flee when the light comes. 

Think about the Apostle Paul and Silas in the Book of Acts. They were rebuked, publicly humiliated, beaten, and then thrown into a dark prison for preaching the Gospel - a freedom that we in the US take for granted today. And yet, at midnight, during the darkest time, instead of getting into fear and distress and crying in despair, they praised God and sang songs and hymns loudly so that the entire prison could hear them! That sounds counter intuitive to us! Why should God be praised when we, His children, are going through extreme trials - especially for preaching the Gospel of His son, Jesus?

I have to confess that I do not understand with my mind why or how this works, but when the Heavenly Father is praised, especially during our darkest times, suddenly and with great power, the bonds of depression and despair are loosed in our lives. It is a spiritual law. Yes, perhaps the circumstances may not be any different - at least not initially - but there will be a shalom peace in your heart that will come like a bright light and with it, a knowing that God loves you and that all will be well.

If you read further in Acts 16, you will find that the prison guard and his entire household were saved that night and then Paul and Silas were declared free men the next morning. Even though they were physically bound in that prison, they were not spiritually bound because they knew Jesus. Despite their circumstances, they knew they were free and praised Him for that truth. And then suddenly everything changed! There was a great shaking that loosed all of their bonds. Light came and they were set free.

Praise Him for all He is and for all He is doing in your life right now, especially if you are in a midnight hour. The circumstances may be less than ideal, but light is coming and the bonds will soon be loosed!