January 8 (About Midnight) - Free Indeed - Abundant Living After Abuse

January 8

We all have had nights when our sleep has been arrested because our thoughts were focused on what do next with our partner, spouse, jobs, children, work or with life in general. Nights where it just seemed that morning will never come again. The pain of losing someone you love is excruciating and heartbreaking that you can’t seem to breathe. Your mind is racing on the many ways you can get out of this living nightmare during a midnight experience and seeing the sunrise (ray of hope) on the horizon. Something about the midnight hours because of its deafening silence that one could conclude that they are alone. This loneliness feels like you have fallen into an abyss all the while questioning life. 

Several years ago while working as a assistant chaplain in Murrieta, California, I got to see individuals in a state of destitute because their lives have changed forever and they couldn't seem to see beyond the darkness. Unfortunately, Everyone experiences a midnight and no one is exempt and gratefully, the midnight does not last forever. Many thoughts, questions and searching happen during a midnight experience. Please allow me to expound a bit more about midnight experiences before I begin with a biblical story about midnight. If you don’t know what about midnight means, it means, when the tough gets going, it won’t let up until you are broken and feeling like you have taken a one-way trip the abyss. If you don’t know what MIDNIGHT is…you will eventually because it is part of life. So let me give you a briefing on about midnight because in order to overcome and conquer a midnight experience, you will need to know what this experience may look like. Everyone’s about midnight experiences may vary but the results are the same…brokenness.

1. About midnight is when you have worked all your life and saved your money to having it all gone. That is midnight.
2. About midnight is when you have prayed for your son or daughter to kick the addiction and they are walking through the shadow of death. That is about midnight.
3. About midnight is when you cannot put food on the table and you have a family to feed, bills to pay and behind on your rent. That is about midnight.
4. About midnight is when you have done your part at your new job, you gave it your all and weeks before Christmas they let you go with no real explanation. That is about midnight.
5. About midnight is when you have a spouse and she or he decided to leave you for another person, taking your kids, and your belongings. That is about midnight.
6. About midnight is when your family has given up on you and you feel all alone in the journey to recovering from your past pains, and addictions. That is about midnight.
7. When people accusing of doing something that you have not done and you are faced with a lawsuit. That is about midnight.

So what do you do when a midnight experience happens in your life? I have asked myself this question because in my own midnight experiences have left me broken and desiring death but praise God that I overcame. In the Bible it talks about two specific individuals that had their about midnight experience and they show us what to do when this happens. 

The Bible story is found in Acts: 16: 13-31   and starts with Paul and Silas “on the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thi-a-tira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us. Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her. When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice." The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.  It was about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

What I find fascinating in this story is that Paul and Silas were in the midnight experience and others as well but the other prisoners saw that Paul and Silas were signing and praising God. Yes! It is difficult to praise God and sing hymns when one is going through a midnight experience but watch this, Paul and Silas were trusting God that “all things work together for good” Romans 8:28. We all will have midnight experiences so know that you are not alone because our Lord and Savior is with us and although it feels that he has abandoned you because your spouse left you or because you were abused, that is far from the truth. Jesus says “he will never leave you or forsake you” Hebrews 13:5

Your midnight experience is not a tool that the Lord uses on us humans but rather it is his enemy that takes pride and joy in tormenting us. When we realize who is behind the midnight experience, then you will understand who is seeking to destroy you so that you do not run the race and fight the good fight. Don't you see? When you are healed from your past hurts, you can help others and bring others to a Loving Father Jesus Christ. Paul and Silas were in their midnight experience and their reaction toward their pain brought other hurting people to Christ. 

Ask God today to help you through your midnight experience. He is standing at the door waiting for you to invite him into your life so that he can fight your battles and you can hold your peace Exodus 14:14. Because of Paul and Silas’s steadfastness in the Lord while in their pain, their discomfort, and imprisonment, they were able to bring others to Christ. Wow!

You too can do the same but first, seek His righteousness and all will be added unto you Matthew 6:33

Are you ready to take charge of your midnight experience with Christ?