Miracles At Midnight

What constitutes a miracle?  So often this word is invoked when confronted with bad news, impossible circumstances or extreme needs.  Quickly the declaration is made, “We need a miracle!”  According to Webster’s dictionary a miracle is “an event that appears unexplainable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural or an act of God.”

God’s Word is replete with miraculous occurrences, however they always seem to be coupled with dark days and dire distresses.  It appears that miracles and midnight go hand in hand.  Yes indeed, in the middle of our darkest night we desire a marvelous unexplainable event to transpire in our serious situation.  So exactly how does one procure that midnight miracle?    

“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.” (Acts 16:25)

On their way to a prayer meeting Paul and Silas never expected to be thrashed and imprisoned by the close of the day.  Nevertheless when the clock struck twelve, they were in bondage, battered, and bloodied as a result of an unjust state of affairs. Against this backdrop of suffering within an extenuating environment, it was time for a midnight miracle.

Probably unable to sleep from the extreme pain and awkward position of the stocks, Paul and Silas chose to pray and praise instead of doubt and pout. As their paean of praise issued forth from the dismal depths of that inner prison, something began to transpire in the heavenly realm.  Sitting on the throne of heaven while resting His feet on the footstool of earth, God began tapping His foot to the rhythm of their rejoicing. Then He started to join in their song and when God started singing, salvation was sent!

 “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Praise released His power and prison doors were no match for Him! “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.” (Acts 16:26)

Every time God opened the prison doors in the book of Acts it was in the middle of the night.

The first time it happened was in Acts 5—the chapter opens up with Ananias and Sapphira—Instead of agreeing together in prayer, they agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord.  It produced dangerous consequences.  God stepped in swiftly and cleaned up His Church.  Great fear came on all the church and on everyone else who heard about this happening.  This resulted in many signs, wonders and Oneness of believers in Solomon’s porch.  Believers started coming in right and left, sick folks were healed in the streets of Jerusalem, other surrounding towns began to join in.  Everything was wonderful when WHAMO!!

Somebody got really upset (Acts 5:17-18)  They locked away the apostles.  The devil thought he’d fix that revival real good.  Lock up the preachers and throw away the key.  But God owns the key to every prison the devil ever constructed!! Acts 5:19-21—

Acts 5:22-23—get the picture,  Here are these big strong macho soldiers standing outside this prison, thumping their chests, rattling their swords, and flexing their muscles.  They probably talked about what they would do to those poor helpless apostles if they tried any funny business.  And all the while, they were guarding an empty cell! 

Reminds me of another story in John 20—Mary Magdalene came to the tomb when it was still dark out—the high priests had posted all their guards just like the ones I described earlier.  But there is no prison cell that can hold you captive and there ain’t no grave that can hold your body down!!

Rom 8:11

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

1 Cor 15:51-58

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

1 Thess 4:13-18

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

I am here to comfort you tonight with my words—God has the key to your prison cell and He can send an angel in the middle of your night!  If the Angel of the Lord shows up, let him bring your forth instead of clinging to your misery! Sometimes we get to liking our prison—we enjoy the attention, the anguish, the whining.

Acts 12 relates another account of a miraculous midnight prison breakout.  Herod sharpened his sword and killed James.  When the Jews patted him on the back and thanked him for doing that, he decided to do the same thing to Peter.  Here’s Peter enjoying the Passover and before he’s finished eating the Pascal lamb, he is in prison still wiping the juice off of his chin. (Then were the days of unleavened bread)  Right in the middle of the party, Peter ends up in prison.  Ever been there and done that?

“But prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.”  Acts 12:5,  Here is the other element needed to procure that midnight miracle—Prayer.  Remember Paul and Silas “prayed” and sang praises to God.  Here is Peter snoozing away.  He remembers this place.  The last time he was here, he didn’t even get to finish getting a good night’s sleep.  This time he intended to make up for that.  He is snoring away between two more of those burly guards with some more outside the door.  No more funny business this time.  Herod didn’t want to be outsmarted by an angel.  So he put soldiers inside the cell.

But soldiers and cells are no match for God.  Here comes that angel of the Lord again.  Probably the same one because he knew his way around there real good.  This was getting to be a regular occurrence.

The angel turned the light on and Peter was sleeping so soundly he didn’t even budge.  So, the angel smote him and then pulled him up.  He told Peter, “Hurry and get up!”  Crack, the chains fell off!

Peter stood there bewildered and the angel had to tell him how to get dressed—Gird yourself: [Gird thyself] When they slept the outer garment was thrown off, and the girdle with which they bound their inner garment, or tunic, was loosed. He was directed now to gird up that inner garment as they usually wore it; that is, to dress himself, and prepare to follow him.

Put on your shoes, You are going to walk out of here Peter, and need to be properly shod to go where God is taking you—to a place of deliverance!

Now cast your garment about you ,The outer garment, that was thrown loosely around the shoulders. It was nearly square, and was laid aside when they slept, or worked, or ran. The direction was that he should dress himself in his usual apparel.

And follow me.  He was like a sleepwalker following that angel. Sometimes we are commanded to walk in places where it is imperative to follow the leading of the Spirit!

Acts 12:9-11 “And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

He thought about it awhile as he walked along and all of the sudden he looked up and realized he was at the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark.  He heard the prayer meeting going on and decided to join in. So he knocked on the door.  Here is this group groaning for Peter and when God does this Midnight Miracle, they don’t believe it.  We are so quick to believe the negative and need proof to believe the positive.  Case in point—Hezekiah—believed without any sign that he would die.  Needed the sundial to move backwards 10 degrees to believe he would be healed.

You may be in a dark prison cell and think God has forgotten about you.  In fact, you may be really familiar with that particular location, you have spent so much time there lately.  But I have come to tell you that God is going to turn the light on.  Wake up!  Get dressed! And Get out of there!!!

God likes to show up when it is dark because that is His dwelling place.

1 Kings 8:12 “Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in thick darkness.”

2 Chron 6:1 “Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.”

“He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.” (Psalm 18:11)  You may have to go into the depths of darkness but that is the site of His secret place. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1) Under His shadow, in the dead of night, deliverance will be brought forth.

At the stroke of twelve in your life, remember to heed the words of the Psalmist found in Psalm 119:62, “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.” In the midst of the night instead of agonizing over your obstacle, remind yourself the Almighty is in control and have a thankful heart. Lift your praises to the Lord from the lowest part of your prison. As your worship wafts towards heaven, something will happen in the eternal regions of glory.  God is going to rejoice with you and when He starts singing, Look Out!  An unexplainable supernatural event will occur as earthquakes ensue, foundations are shaken, prison doors fly open and every band is loosed. If you need a miracle it just might happen at midnight!

You might be saying tonight, Job 35:10 ‘Where is God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night,

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah (Psalm 32:7)

Keep looking, because Miracles oftentimes happen at Midnight!