A religious spirit, and a supernatural darkness covered the land. It was a darkness that could not be driven away by a campfire. It was Israel’s midnight hour – the darkest hour it had ever known, and the Jews were ripe for the coming of a Messiah that bring light into their lives once again. While the rest of Israel slept in darkness that night, there was something wonderful that happened on the hillside where those shepherds lay.
The first part of one of the songs we sing at Christmas goes like this:
“It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth, to touch their harps of
gold;
‘Peace on the earth, good will to men, from Heaven’s all
gracious King.’”
Suddenly the angels appeared with their
voices ringing to announce to the world that the Light had come because Jesus had been born in
Bethlehem. The darkness of the midnight
hour was broken by the glorious light of Heaven. Sin was about to be conquered forever because a baby named Jesus was lying in a
manger.
This wasn’t the first time that God had delivered Israel in
the midnight hour. God called Moses and anointed him as the Deliverer of Israel
and sent him to speak to Pharaoh as God’s voice saying, “Let My People Go”! Six
times Moses went before Pharaoh but Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he
wouldn’t admit that Israel’s God was the only true God. But God was not giving
up – the battle of wills was already won. God just had to bring one more plague
upon Egypt to convince Pharaoh that He was greater than Pharaoh was.
Exodus 11:4-6
"And Moses said, thus saith the LORD, about midnight
will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of
Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne,
even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the
firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of
Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it anymore."
Here again we see the Lord doing a miracle at the midnight
hour to bring about Israel’s deliverance. I don’t know why God chooses the
midnight hour, but it seems that He often does so. Perhaps it’s the midnight hour because God
has to let man sink to the very depths of despair before man will turn back to
God. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that God will not share His glory with
any man and when man is locked into the hopelessness of the midnight hour,
that’s when God knows that no man can say God didn’t bring about a
miracle. Whatever the reason, God chose
to bring about the final plague upon Egypt at the midnight hour.
Another time when we see something happening in the midnight
hour is found in Psalms 119:62, "At
midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous
judgments."
King David knew what it was to be locked in the midnight
hour of sin and despair. He knew was it was to feel the pain of sin and the
agony of defeat at the hands of the devil. But he also knew how to pray in the
midnight hour.
It’s often those prayers, those times when we cry out to
God, when we have come to the end of our rope that really touch the heart of
God. All of us have prayed at times when we were just going through the
motions, but when you really get down to business – when the baby is sick and
medicine won’t help; when death is knocking at the door and no one can do a
thing to stop it; when all hope of deliverance is gone unless God performs a
miracle – that’s when we really pray, and that’s when God really begins to
move.
James 5:16, "…
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Those midnight cries, those wee hours of the morning
prayers, when the Holy Spirit is bringing you on your knees before God and you
really feel the heaviness of the burden, are the prayers that seem to get the
quickest answers.
Paul and Silas had done nothing deserving of the place where
they found themselves on this dark night. They were chained to the wall in the
depths of a prison under Roman guard just because they had cast the devil out
of a young girl.
You won’t always find yourself in the depths of darkness at
the midnight hour because of some dark sin in your life. Sometimes it’s just a
trap that the devil lays for you and that God allows you to go through for His
name’s sake.
I am certain that Paul and Silas wondered why it was
happening to them, but they didn’t blame God, get mad and quit the ministry, or
curse the guards. They didn’t complain over their cold bread and water, if they
even had that. They didn’t murmur because the air-conditioning was just right
or the heater wasn’t right, or the lights were too dim. They just started
praising God in the darkness and waited for the will of God to be done.
Acts 16:25-26
"And at midnight
Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
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."
Psalms 22:3,
"But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel."
When the praises go up, the Holy Spirit comes down
2 Corinthians 3:17,
"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is liberty."
Paul and Silas already had liberty in their hearts, but now
they were going to experience the liberty that God gives in a very tangible
way.
Another time when we see God working in the midnight hour is
found in the Parable of the Ten Virgins found in Matthew chapter 25.
Matthew 25:1-13
"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten
virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And
five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took
their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels
with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out
to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the
foolish said unto the wise, give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
But the wise answered, saying, not so; lest there be not enough for us and you:
but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went
to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the
marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying,
Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know
you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the
Son of man cometh."
Midnight - a time when we least expect anything to happen; a
time when most of the world is asleep or trying to rest to forget the things of
the day that has past, and not to worry yet over the things of tomorrow. It’s the midnight hour, not just 12 o’clock
by the clock, but midnight because of the powers of darkness that seem to
engulf you, and to engulf the whole world.
As our world is ever growing darker and falling deeper into the darkness
of sin, I can’t help but believe that we are approaching the midnight hour for
mankind.
As Christians we understand that Jesus, the Messiah and
Deliverer, has already come. He was born in that manger over 2000 years ago, He died and rose again, and is alive forevermore. Though the world grows
darker, we see the light. We can hear the angel choirs singing in the realm of
the Spirit and we understand what they mean whey they sing, “Glory to God in
the Highest and peace, good will to all men.” We hear the Lord saying, “Come
unto me and I will give you rest.” We see the “Star of Bethlehem” as a light in
our hearts for Jesus is that star, the Bright and the Morning Star, that has
risen in us to give us the light of the gospel.
But I can’t help but weep this Christmas for the rest of the
world that is caught in the darkness of sin. They are approaching the midnight
hour. Soon we will hear the trumpet sound, and the midnight cry will go forth,
and where will they be when it sounds?
It won’t be only those who have never known Jesus who will
remain in this world during its darkest hour.
There will be church people who will remain who had the religious spirit
of the Pharisees and the Sadducees but who really didn’t know Jesus at
all. There will be those who once were
on fire for God but they have allowed the darkness to kill the fire and destroy
the light in their souls, and now they will live in that darkness forever.
There will be those who have ceased to pray, ceased to serve
God and ceased to read His Word who will suddenly, and without warning, find
that they can no longer pray, serve or read, because Satan will complete the
blinding process in their heart and mind.
There will be those who were once delivered by the power of God as the
light of the gospel shone in them, but now they are locked down again, forever
chained to the blackness of sin and despair.
There is a midnight cry coming. We are approaching the
midnight hour! Right now there are children all across the land who are being
told about a fat, red-suited elf, riding a sleigh pulled by 8 miniature flying
reindeer. They are told to go to sleep before midnight so he can pass by their
house. They are being told that he will give them what they desire.
But I wonder how many of those same children are being told
that the very Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is also coming soon, in the
midnight hour. I wonder if they are being taught that Jesus is riding on the
clouds of Glory, or seated upon the Throne of God, or that He is carried about
by the Seraphim of Glory?
We are approaching the midnight hour! Who are you looking
for – an elf in a sleigh – or Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and the Lord of
Lords? Don’t let the devil lull you to sleep now. The hour is growing late; the
midnight hour is approaching; and you want to be found watching and waiting for
Jesus’ coming!
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