DAILY DIET E-BOOK SERIES 01 DAY 06 (...AT THE MIDNIGHT HOUR OF LIFE)

A Bible example of this is found in the 16th chapter of Acts. Paul and Silas were arrested in Philippi, where they had gone to preach the Gospel. They were beaten with many stripes and cast into prison. The jailer was charged to keep them safely, "Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stock " (v. 24). Notice particularly the 25th verse, "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." They certainly couldn't have been singing some of the songs we sing, because many of our songs don't praise God. 

Too often our songs are more of a complaint than praise. The songs seem to have the "poor old me" attitude—we're wandering through life destitute, downtrodden, and in dark valleys. Too much of the time the songs are about us—what we're doing and how rough life is. If we do sing anything about heaven, it's about when we all get there. That still doesn't give God any praise. But Paul and Silas sang praises to God. Notice, too, the prisoners heard them. They weren't quiet about this! If Paul and Silas had been like a lot of people today, instead of praying and singing praises at midnight, they would've been griping and complaining. 

And the Scripture might have read something like this: About midnight Paul and Silas griped and complained and Silas nudged Paul and said, "Paul, are you still there?" It's very dark, so Paul says, "Where else could I be?" Silas would have said, "You know, Paul, you really missed God, didn't you?" While Paul is trying to figure out where he missed it, Silas says, "I'll tell you one thing, when I was serving the devil, I never got thrown in jail. I don't know why God let this happen to us. Why, if I ever get out of here—and I doubt I will—I'll be ashamed to go home because they'll call me an old jailbird. I tell you, Paul, I got hooked up with the wrong fellow—that's all there is to it." "Yeah—we missed it somewhere," Paul says. "And I tell you, my poor back is really hurting me bad. You know, I really thought God was speaking to me in that vision, but if God were in it, we'd have been a success." 

During the 12 years I pastored, I heard members of my church say similar things. "I never had it this rough when I was serving the devil," some would say when a trial came their way. How do you help people like that? Well, I would smile and say, "God will forgive you of that, if you'll repent." Paul and Silas really were in trouble, weren't they? They were thrust into the inner prison. They had been whipped with many stripes until their backs were bleeding. Their feet were in stocks. I'm sure they were in great physical pain. It was a dark hour for them, but although Paul and Silas were in jail, they didn't let the jail get in them. That's the reason a lot of people are defeated. 

Everyone has trouble of one kind or another. We've all been lashed by the storms of life. But our attitude—how we look at a situation and how we accept it—makes the difference in how we come out, or whether we get out at all. In our midnight hour, when we don't understand why things have happened, even though we've tried our best, let us look at Paul and Silas. 

After all, they didn't go to Philippi on a pleasure trip. They were there to do the Lord's work. They were not out of the will of God. Sometimes when things don't go right, people think, "I must be out of the will of God." Or they ask, "What awful sin have I committed to cause God to send this on me?" God didn't send the trouble; the devil did. It wasn't God who whipped Paul and Silas; it was ungodly men. God didn't stir up those ungodly fellows; it was the devil. In spite of persecution, adversity, and depressing surroundings, "At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them." They weren't quiet about it! They were praising God at midnight right out loud in jail.

                                                                                                                      ...To be continued

FFT: At midnight hour of life; exchange complaint and petition with praise!

ACTION POINT: stop complaining starting celebrating His majesty!

INTERACTIVE SESSION: Is it possible to exchange petitions with praise at the midnight hour of life? Share your comment below;