I am convinced that the safest place in the world is in the center of God’s will. You will never find a place more secure than being in the center of God’s will for your life. At the same time, I am also convinced that the center of God’s will; though it is the safest place, it is not always the most pleasant and pain free place. Are you going to pray with me? Many of us have been seduced into believing that as long as our lives are being lived out within the will of God, everything is going to be alright. I’ve found that not to be so. What I’ve discovered is that God is far more concerned about making us holy than He is in making us happy. The God we serve is seeking our holiness and not our happiness. In this 16th chapter of Acts Jesus is gone off of the scene. He has ascended back to heaven and now sits on the right hand of God, the Father. I’m glad that Jesus set up His program for the church so that His work wouldn’t end just because He’s gone. The Bible said He chose twelve men. Some He called to put down their doctor’s bag. Some He called to lay down their nets. Some He called from the tax collectors office. He told them to come on and follow me. He trained those twelve men. He guided and taught them and when Jesus left, He left the church in their hands. He told them to preach the Gospel. Even though the Book of Acts talks about Jesus, it also talks about the life of those twelve men that He left here after He had gone back to heaven. That’s why it’s called the Book of Acts, because it talks about how the Apostles acted when Jesus had left them. The Book of Acts talked about how they walked and the lives that they lived. It is also commonly referred to as the Acts of the Apostles. It is in this book that we find records of persecution that children of God had to endure all because of Jesus Christ. And let me say this today, that you haven’t done much in the church unless you have been persecuted. I’m a witness that when you really try to give God your all, somebody is going to persecute you. Somebody is going to try to bring you down. There are some folk who don’t want to see you grow spiritually. They will do all they can to try hinder God’s program. These things must come. Can I get a witness? Our text today is centered on the word midnight. Midnight is not one word, but it is the combination of two words, mid and night. If we analyze each piece of this word midnight, we will find that the first part of the word midnight is mid. The word mid is a short way of saying middle. According to the dictionary, it is that which lies in the center of things. Not too far to the left and not too far to the right, but somewhere in the center. Well, the dictionary defines the word night as a period of darkness. A period when darkness covers the land. A time when it is hard for us to see things that are around us. Now if you put mid and night together with mid meaning the middle and night meaning a period of darkness, it means in the center of darkness. Midnight is a peculiar time. Mothers began to worry about where their children are when they have messed up and stayed out past midnight. A lot of pacing the floor and a lot of restless hours come when they stay out past midnight. Not only that, but husbands and wives have a whole lot of explaining to do when they go out and mess up and stay out past midnight. Midnight is a peculiar time. I wish I had some help. Midnight is the point where PM ends and AM begins. Midnight is the dividing wall between PM and AM. There used to be a time when it was a disgrace for a respectable person to be caught out past midnight. Can I get a witness? Well time has brought about a change. Where we have some who are struggling trying to make in before midnight, there are some folk who are just getting ready to leave out at midnight. Midnight is an awesome time. Well, just like there are midnights in worldly living, just as there are midnights in time, even the life of a Christian has its midnights. The darkest hours in the life of a child of God are their midnights. My brothers and sisters life has a way of making us get acquainted with many forms of midnights. Midnight is simply trouble in the life of someone. Midnights can come in many shapes, forms and fashions. Well, Preacher, what are some of the types of midnights? Well, one example of a midnight is when you walk out of the doctor’s office and you hear him tell you, I’ve done all that I can and you have a sickness where there is no cure and it’s just a matter of time before you leave here. And it goes through your mind and you’re wondering, why me? That’s a midnight. Can I get a witness? When you stand by the graveside of a loved one and watch the dearest person to you be lowered down in a grave. That’s a midnight. Not only that, but when you have done your best in the service of the Lord. When you have given your best to the Lord’s program. When you have sacrificed and when you didn’t feel like going and folk laughed and made fun of you and say that you’ve done nothing at all. That’s a midnight. Somebody knows what I’m talking about. You go home and you’re so hurt, you say you’re not going back no more. You’re so hurt, you’re hungry, but you can’t eat. You’re thirsty, but you don’t want anything to drink. You’re so weak that you want to lie down, but you can’t lie down. You don’t feel like standing up and you don’t know what to do. That’s a midnight. Everybody sooner or later will experience a midnight. There may be somebody here this today who’ll say,” I’ve never experienced a midnight. I’ve never had any trouble. I don’t know what it means to suffer.” If you are under the sound of my voice today, all I have to say to you is, just stay here a little while. Keep on living and before it’s all over, life will make you get acquainted with old man midnight. Midnights are terrible things. But you know one thing I’ve learned; I’ve learned that midnights are not all bad.
There are some good things about having and experiencing midnights. My brothers and sisters midnights can make us better. You see one thing about midnight, if you never prayed before; midnights will bring you to your knees. Can I get a witness? Now one of the things that reminds me about midnight; is the midnight hour reminds us that often times God does some of His best work when we think it’s too late. When we’ve given up all hope, God has a way of showing up and showing out. Even in our midnights. Paul and Silas were aware of that; and so, STANDING FIRM IN THEIR FAITH, Luke says that they prayed and sang praises unto God. 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. And you see when a child of God is on their knees, they are at their best. I heard a songwriter say, “It’s hard to stumble when you are on your knees.” Midnights will make you realize how little you really are and how big God is. You know a whole lot of people think they’re everything. They feel they have all of the sense and all of the know-how. But when you find yourself in a situation that good sense can’t get you out of, when you find yourself in a situation where money can’t buy your way out of, when you find yourself in a situation where all of the lawyers and politicians can’t get you out of, you’ll end up having to go down on your knees and ask God to help you. Midnights make us pray more. Midnights make us know that we still need God. But you know something else I’ve learned. Those midnights sometimes help us and make us understand that these material things are not permanent. Can I get a witness? That house that some folks get so wrapped up in. You know what I’m talking about. It’s too precious for anybody to walk in with their shoes on.
Paul and Silas had just left Macedonia and they were led by the Spirit of God to go to Philippi to preach God’s word. It had gotten dark and Paul and Silas made their way to the temple. When they got there, they bowed down and thanked the Lord for helping them to make the journey. Let me tell you something, when you start out from one place to another, when you get to your destination, it’s a good thing to bow down and tell God, “Lord I thank you for helping me to make my journey.” It’s just good to let God know that you appreciate what He has done for. The scripture tells us that when they had finished praying they left from out of the temple and early the next morning, they went into the streets and corners and they preached Christ and Him crucified. They told the people that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. The Bible said a large crowd had gathered now to hear what Paul and Silas had to say. But everybody in large crowds is not always there for the right reasons. Some folks come just to look and find fault in others. Come on somebody. Some folk come to criticize. And it’s a shame because there are some people who come to church just to worship and praise God and lift up the name of Jesus. There are some folks who can’t praise God, too busy worrying about why you’re praising Him. I don’t know about anybody else, but I’ve got a reason for praising Him. Look at me; I haven’t always been like this. I have a reason to praise Him. Somebody knows what I’m talking about. Well, there were some in the group who resented the fact that Paul and Silas were preaching. The Pharisees showed up and they came to plot and scheme against Paul and Silas. And if y’all don’t mind I want to use my spiritual imagination while I talk to you. No doubt they told Paul and Silas, “We don’t mean you any harm, but we were at the meeting and heard those sermons that you preached, and you got to get out of town. What you’re saying is pulling the cover off of our wrong doing. You’re showing us up before the town folk and making us look bad.” Paul and Silas listened to what they had to say. Isn’t it a shame that when the preacher is preaching and he steps on some toes, instead of them saying ouch, they want to criticize the preacher. You know what I’m talking about. Folks will say, “He’s picking on me.” But I got news for you. The preacher doesn’t know what you’re doing when you leave here. He’s just preaching the Gospel. Can I get witness? Paul and Silas told them in so many words, yes we love our lives as much as any other man, but we have learned that we must tell the story. It’s something burning on the inside, like fire shut up in our bones and we can’t hold our peace. We got to tell it everywhere we go. They told Paul and Silas that that if they didn’t leave town, they would have them thrown in prison. Paul and Silas went on down the same street corner and told the same story about the same Man. Something on the inside of you will make you do that. Anybody on your street today? But somebody went back and told the Pharisees that they were still preaching. The record is, those Pharisees, those heathen folk, went down and bound Paul and Silas in chains and put them in prison. I can see Silas and I can see Paul in my mind as they made their way to the Philippian jail. And I can imagine that time had bent Paul over. Time had put a rock in his walk. He didn’t walk like he used to walk.
As I hurry on to a close, can’t you see them walking on to the jail house down in Philippi. I wish I could have been there to have taken that stroll with Paul and Silas. I would have told them, I know you’re worried about your condition. I know you’re worried about what’s going to happen to you. I would have told them, be not dismayed because God will take care of you. When you’ve been made of love divine, God will take care of you. Ain’t God alright? Well, they put Paul and Silas in the inner most part of the prison. When they locked the doors, they put a guard by the doors and the guard was told to guard them with his life. Every now and then the guard would go over to the cell and see if Paul and Silas were still in jail. The record is those boys were in jail all morning long. Twelve o’clock came; high noon and the boys were still in jail. The record is, and I wasn’t there, but I heard that they were still in jail all evening long. I can imagine that 5:00 PM came, 5:00 news time and the news report was that Paul and Silas was still in jail. Ain’t God alright? The sun started going down, 6:00 came and they were still in jail. 7:00 PM came and they were still in jail. I can see them in my mind as supper time rolled around and those boys were still in jail. It’s dark now and at 8:00 PM, they were still in jail. I can imagine 9:00 PM, 10:00 PM and 10:30 PM came and they were still in jail. Can you see them? Everybody in jail was sleep, but Paul and Silas were wide awake. Ain’t God alright? I know how Paul and Silas felt, because there have been times in my life when I was so burdened, so heavy laden that I couldn’t sleep at night. Everybody in house was sleep, but I was the only one that was lying awake. There are some things that will cause you to lie awake all night. There are some things that will cause you to walk the floor all night long. But I heard a song writer say, “Trouble gets in my way, I have to cry sometimes, I lay awake at night, but that’s alright, I know that Jesus will fix it, after while.” Paul and Silas were wide awake. Well, the clock on the wall kept on ticking and ticking and ticking. 11:30 came, 11:45, 11:50, 11:55 and they were still in jail. 11:59 came and they were still in jail. But wait a minute. Don’t breathe too loud. The Bible said at midnight, Paul and Silas decided that they were going to sing a song and pray a prayer. Some folk said that Silas did the singing and Paul did the praying, but the Bible didn’t say which one sang and which one prayed. But the Bible said they sang and they prayed. I’m going home when I tell you this. It’s a mighty fine thing that when midnight comes into your life, you ought to go down on your knees. I wasn’t there to know what song they sang. But Lord have mercy, if I had been there, I believe I would have sang, “Father I stretch my hands to thee, no other help I know. If thou withdraw thyself from me, where shall I go?” I don’t know, but if I had been there, I might’ve gotten happy and I might have sang that old song, “I know the Lord will make a way somehow.” Yes He will. Well you know there’s something about prayer. Won’t it change things? If you’re in trouble and can’t find your way, prayer changes things. If you don’t have a plan and don’t know how you’re going to make it, prayer changes things. They sang and prayed until their prayer reached heaven. They telephoned heaven and God picked up the phone. He heard their prayer coming through. And that’s all you got to do, call Him up and tell Him what you want. The Lord heard their prayer and no sooner than they got through praying, power fell from heaven. Power fell from heaven. Power came down and walked in the jail. Power kicked the jail house door open. Power ripped the hinges from the door. Power took off the shackles of Paul and Silas. And Paul and Silas walked out of that jail. Ain’t God alright? Is there anybody here who’s ever had some midnights? Is there anybody here that knows for yourself, the Lord will make a way somehow. The Lord will carry you through your midnights. Is there anybody here who ever tried Him. If you tried Him, you ought to stand on your feet. Look at your neighbor and tell them, “I know the Lord will make a way somehow.” Won’t he make a way? Won’t He make a way? Won’t the Lord make a way? Ain’t God alright? I got one more thing I need to tell you. If you are a child of God, you ought to make it up in your mind that you’re going all the way with the Lord. I don’t know about you, but I’ve come too far to turn around. Ain’t God Alright? Say yeah. Say yeah. Oh yeah. If you got some midnights, don’t worry. Just pray on. Pray on and hold on. Hold on. Hold on to God’s unchanging hand. Hold on choir members. Hold on ushers. Hold on missionaries. Hold on deacons. Hold on members. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. After while. After while. After while, by and by, it will all be over down here. I don’t know how you feel about it, but I’m going home. I’m going home. I’m going over there where the wicked will cease from troubling and the weary will be at rest. Hold on. Hold on. And one of these days everything will be alright. Pray and praise God during your midnights, because joy, joy, joy cometh in the morning.
