Psalms 119:62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.
Act 16:25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
Act 16:26 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. KJV Bible
Midnight can be the darkest, most silent time of the night. It can be a time when we are overcome with loneliness and sorrow. Midnight can be a time when worry and fretting hit us the hardest. Have you ever been there? Did you wonder “what am I to do?”. Here the Psalmist tells us that at midnight “I will rise to give thanks”.
Paul and Silas had been beaten severely and thrown into the dungeon. Yet at midnight they sang songs of praise unto the Lord. When God heard their praises He shook the prison and loosened everyone’s bands.
Let us choose like the Psalmist and Paul and Silas to rise to give thanks and to sing praise to the Lord in our midnight times. Rather than looking at the darkness and silence, let us begin to think upon the greatness of our God and His love for us and focus our attention on Him. He is already working on our behalf to send deliverance and freedom from all bondage in our life.
Lord, I choose now in my midnight to give You thanks. I choose to sing praise to You. You are always good and working for my good. I will focus on You not on the darkness and pain. Amen
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
When we have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Spirit of God takes up residence within our being. We are children of God. The Spirit of God leads us into the path we are to walk to fulfil all that God has for us. He has great plans for hope and a future for each one of us.
Have you ever felt like a “less than”? You know like others are better than you at whatever it is you are doing. Or they have more of what this world considers valuable and important? It may be true that they have a “better” job than you do. Perhaps they live in a more impressive house or drive a fancier car. But that does not make them “better” and you “less than”.
We can look at all this and say well it is true that they have this and I have that, but I am a child of God. This world is not my home, these things are not my future. My home is in Heaven, I will walk on golden streets. I will have a place to dwell that Jesus, Himself, has gone to prepare for me. Nothing here can compare to what is mine as a child of God. I will rejoice and be glad knowing that I belong to God and He is caring for me.
Lord, help me not to get caught up in the frustration of comparing myself with others. Help me not to focus on what I do or don’t have on this earth. Help me keep my eyes on You and what You have for me. Help me keep my focus on the great future I have in store in You. Amen