And what at midnight?

They were just two men doing right. Doing what we all hope we would do at the sight of an innocent girl being maliciously abused. They rescue this little girl because the image of God has been stamped soul-deep into every feeble, strong, old, infant, man, woman, millions of us. Stamped like this indelible mark of value and ownership. Making every stranger our neighbor and constraining each of us to show mercy and grace. 

And this beautiful act triggers the downward spiral of worst possible events.

The abusers, unable to stomach the blow to their income, fling the two men before a pack of unjust magistrates. Lies are hurled, and the growing mob is stirred into violent frenzy. Paul and Silas are stripped naked. Then beaten. Then cast into prison. Then cast into a deeper prison. Then locked tight in the stocks. One act of righteousness leaves them bleeding, buried, and bound. Hours pass. Blood congeals. Muscles stiffen. The damp and putrid sets in.

And at midnight they pray loud and sing praise to God.

used by permission from spokenlightphoto (my cool friend!)

And we watch in awe as this beautiful act triggers the upward spiral of miraculous events. God shakes out the earth for His two children. The prison doors fling wide in the quake. The heavy bands loose and fall limp to the ground. The prison guard leads them up then out, and his God-stamped soul finds mercy and grace which spreads to every soul in his home. Paul and Silas walk away free men. The Kingdom of God marches forward.

___________________

We all have midnights.

I mean, we do right and suffer loss. We live right yet our bodies live in pain. We spread the mercy of the Gospel, and we are spread thick with rejection and hate. Like Job, we stand helplessly watching our loved ones slip away. We do right, and we are stopped. We do right and nothing makes sense. And what will we do then? What will we do when we are held fast in the bonds of disappointment and frustration? When the heavy gate of doubt slams shut and locks us tight. When the damp and putrid of life on a fallen planet sets in. What then? What at midnight?

I’m pretty convinced Paul and Silas were not pondering some salvific scheme of rescue or escape as they worshiped God in that prison. I think there was a naked faith in God that gave them confidence in the darkest hour. God is longsuffering. If we look for that in our lives, we are going to see it. God is kind. We can always trace that ray. Our God is loving, merciful, strong, wise, just, eternal, and compassionate… midnights do not quench these. His character glows bright in darkness. I believe Paul and Silas experienced that, and it gushed out in prayers and thanksgiving despite their current condition. Faith can see what sight cannot. And what faith sees will always soar the heart in worship.

But we try so hard to strap His character to what we want His actions to be. If my God is____________then surely He will_______________. And we walk away sorely disappointed, licking the wounds caused by our own understanding. We forget that perfect character will always motivate perfect actions. Do not doubt this at midnight. Trust who He is in the dark. He will move in our favor. He can only do that. Whether it ends in miraculous deliverance or some sustained dayspring of sufficient grace.

So we do right. And sometimes we sit wrapped in midnight.  But we see what we cannot see, and know it to be true. And we worship the God of miracles alongside Paul and Silas.

Beth