It Happened Around Midnight
By Missionary Danielle B. Powell
A midnight experience refers to a point of change or transition. It is the time of greatest pain, darkness, turmoil, grief, and despair, immediately followed by a time of freedom, jubilee, light, joy and praise. The Bible records many midnight stories – both literal and metaphorical – that reveal the miraculous, inexplicable, supernatural work of God. It is the moment, right when things seem unredeemable and imaginably hopeless. It is the point when we’re at our wit’s end and out of solutions, alternatives or back up plans. It is right at that moment that God steps in and turns things around for our good, superseding natural orders, common sense, logic or that which may be easily explained.
Having lived under the oppressive rule of Egyptian slave masters for 400 years, the Hebrew children were fatigued, discouraged and questioning whether God cared or heard their cries. And when a champion, Moses, arrived and brought with him plagues upon Pharaoh and the inhabitants, it seemed their burden grew heavier and not better. But Exodus 12:29 says “And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle,” thus ensuring the Hebrew children’s wealthy release to the Promised Land. It happened around midnight.
Two women, forced to leave their home after the deaths of their husbands. One was coming as a foreigner in a strange land. The other, felt God had dealt with her bitterly. Even after taking the notice of a distant cousin, Ruth and Naomi had no guarantee of a better life. But Ruth 3:8 says that following Naomi’s instructions, “it came to pass at midnight, that the man [Boaz] was afraid, and turned himself: and, behold, a woman [Ruth] lay at his feet.” Immediately, the page turned for these two women. They were no longer destitute, but women who had been redeemed. It happened around midnight.
Jesus taught using parables and even He spoke about the midnight experience. There was the friend who arrived at midnight and asked for three loaves of bread to share with one who had come from a long journey (Luke 11:5-8). And the ten virgins, who when the bridegroom came at midnight, only five were prepared and ready to meet him (Matthew 5:1-13). In both examples, the midnight hour represented a time, unknown to man, but when the believer was to be expectant and hopeful. It was a time when things would change for the better – assuming we were ready and waiting. It happened around midnight.
Paul and Silas, were charged by God to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. They’d been beaten, maimed, clothes rent and thrown in the inner jail. As the hours ticked by, death was imminent. But I believe Paul and Silas understood this concept of the midnight experience. I believe they understood there was a point in time, a moment of transition from despair to jubilee, from dark to light, from chains to freedom. It only took a moment for God to step in and do something miraculous, inexplicable, and supernatural in their situation. And Acts 16:25-26 says, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 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.” It happened around midnight.
Let me encourage you! I don’t know if your midnight experience arrived when we crossed over into 2018, or if it will come in the next few minutes, the next few days or the next few weeks. But I do believe that if we hold on, there will come that point in time, that moment of transition. God will step in and do something miraculous in our lives. And then, we will all be able to testify – it happened around midnight!