Your Midnight Hour---Monday Messages from the Heart

Acts 16:25-31

“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 everyone's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, waking out of his sleep and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had fled. 

But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, "Do thyself no harm, for we are all here." Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” 

Paul and Silas were being held captive as prisoners, but yet they decided to choose worship over being weary and worrying. Do you know that your worship has the power to break chains off of you! In the Midnight hour they prayed and praised the Lord. In your midnight hour, which looks dark and unsure, are you praising the Lord? Some situations may seem hard to find that praise, but we praise God for who HE IS. What is stopping your praise? In the darkness and deepest moments of life is where we sometimes will find our most powerful worship. The type that makes others wonder why we can have joy and peace in the midst of the dark midnight hour. You may be in a midnight hour, but you choose how to respond. 

Your praise has power that will go beyond just you. The scripture tells us that the other prisoners heard them, meaning it wasn't quiet praise. Their praise, prayer, and worship to God led to an earthquake and the foundation of the prison was shaken! This worship was so powerful that it opened the doors of the prison and broke the chains off of the other prisoners. The jailer was so moved by this power of God, which in no doubt is a miracle, that he asked, "what must I do to be saved?" They simply said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Their praise and prayers led someone to the Lord. Don't you think that your praise and prayers can? 

Sin separates us from the God who loves us and wants a relationship with us. The good news is that there is a solution to this problem, and his name is Jesus! He’s the Son of God and lived a perfect life, died as a sacrifice for our sins, and rose from the grave! We can trust in Jesus because He is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus said, “no one comes to the father, but by me”. Through receiving salvation, we are placed into a relationship that on our own is not possible. We have the promise that God is always with us and that he’ll never fail us. Through salvation and placing our trust in Jesus those chains break off of us, but at times we become weary and weighed down by life. Through prayer, praise and worshipping the Lord, those chains cannot stay, only unless you choose to hang onto them. 

What is more powerful is that through Paul and Silas the chains came off of other prisoners, and someone came to know Jesus and enter into that personal relationship with him. What a wonderful encounter! Your prayers for others, your praise, your encouragement, your sharing of the truth, and the light that shines in you—you never know what prison door you may open for somebody else. 

We praise 

We pray 

We worship

We share the Good News

….. We obey 

But Jesus breaks the chains and sets the captives FREE!

• Are you currently living in midnight hour that seems hopeless, dark, and unsure? What can you do today to enter into praise, prayer, and worship to help move you out of a place of weariness and to a place of worship?

• Do you let your situations dictate your worship and prayer life?

• In the past, how has worshiping through the hard seasons helped you?

What would you say to someone in a midnight hour that has helped you?

Father in Heaven, 

I thank You for the gift of life and for sustaining me up to this moment. Thank you for your provision and protection. Forgive me for this season where I have struggled to give you the glory and the praise. Lord, please help me to let go of every chain that has placed limitation on my life. Let me lay it at your feet and not pick it back up. Lord, let Your light shine in every dark area of my life and expose any hidden works of the enemy and within my flesh. I command every stronghold in my life to be pulled down in the mighty name of Jesus. I ask that you scatter every evil gathering against my life and family and I declare that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. Lord, let Your light shine upon my path and guide me in all my decisions. Please, cover me in your peace that surpasses all understanding and let it fill my heart and home. Lord, I thank You for answering prayers and for the victory You have given me! 

In Jesus’ name. 

Amen.