A Miracle At Midnight

Now it does not surprise us that they prayed at midnight. You would be surprised if they had not prayed at midnight. Because those of us who have had to face a midnight, know that the midnight hour of crisis is a time of prayer. Have I got a witness? If you haven’t prayed in a long time, you’ll pray when you are faced with midnight. When you think you know how to pray, you’ll learn how to pray all over again when you are faced with midnight. Midnight is an hour of prayer. So it does not surprise us that they prayed at midnight. What’s remarkable is that Luke says, not only did they pray but that they sang praises unto God.

It’s one thing to pray at midnight. It’s another thing to be able to PRAISE at midnight. See most of us don’t have any problem praying at midnight; our problem is, we haven’t learned how to praise God, at midnight! It’s easy to praise God in pleasant circumstances. When the sun is shining. All is well in your life. Oh, it’s not difficult to shout ‘hallelujah’ and say, ‘the Lord will make a way,’ when all your bills are paid. It’s not difficult to be able to throw your hands up and say, ‘I bless the Lord,’ when you have a reasonable portion of health and strength. When it is well with you and yours. But Luke says, they praised God at midnight; they sang praises unto God.

I have looked at this passage several times of the years and it did not occur to me until this week that when you think about this passage; and Paul and Silas, hearing the Macedonian call, leave Troas and come to Macedonia to Europe and bring the Gospel into Europe for the very first time. And no sooner than they’re there, they are beaten and thrown into jail and at midnight they prayed and sang praises unto God. The Lord reminded me that first Gospel Concert in Europe didn’t take place in a concert hall. Didn’t happen in a church or a chapel. But it happenend in a Philippian jail. Because Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God. Now, as I was doing the exegetical analysis on this particular passage of scripture several questions came to mind.

The first question is, how were they able to sing at midnight? They were able to sing because they were assured that their God was able. But they did not know what God was going to do in this situation. And yet they stood firm in their faith. Praying and praising the Lord. No, it’s not difficult to pray at midnight. But how do you praise God at midnight? These men, their backs are bruised, broken, and bloodied. And they’re not cursing. They’re not singing the blues but they are singing praises unto God. Amen goes right there. They were able to sing praises because Paul turned his pain into a pulpit. And only FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ will enable you to turn your pain into a pulpit. And maybe I ought to raise the question this morning; what kind of sermons do you preach from your scars? When life has bruised you? When life has bloodied you? When life has broken you? What kind of sermons do you preach then? It’s easy to preach a good sermon when everything is alright. But what kind of sermons do you preach after life has scared you?