Music at Midnight

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.” (Acts 16:25-26, NKJV)

No one was asleep that night. Even at midnight, well past most people’s usual bedtime, sleep would not come. Admittedly, this was no luxury hotel with a warm shower, soft sheets, and a comfy pillow. This was a prison, a dark, damp, dreary prison.

awake at midnight

The two new guys, recently thrown into the inner cell and their feet placed in stocks, certainly didn’t feel like sleeping. They had been stripped of their clothes and badly beaten — unjustly so — leaving their backs bloody, raw, and extremely painful. They received no medical attention or pain medicine. We can only imagine their intense misery with these fresh open wounds.

During the dark hours of the night, a sound drifted from that inner cell and drew the attention of the other prisoners. It wasn’t the sound of angry cursing about those who had inflicted this pain. It wasn’t angry complaints about having been unjustly beaten and imprisoned. It wasn’t even moans of pain. It was . . . music! The two new prisoners were singing. And praying. Had their injuries made them crazy? Perhaps some of those blows had hit their heads. Whatever caused it, the other prisoners listened. The new prisoners literally had a “captive audience.”

This was not craziness; this was worship. Paul and Silas were enjoying a midnight praise fest in the belly of that prison!

worship shakes things up

Then there was another sound. The very foundation of the prison began to rattle and shake. Chains fell off and prison doors swung open. This was no ordinary earthquake. God was making Himself known in that prison. He heard the praise of Paul and Silas and responded as only God can. He shook things up during that midnight prayer service.

That night not only did chains fall off the feet of Paul and Silas, but chains of darkness also fell from the heart of the Philippian jailer and his family. Praise in times of trouble testifies to those around us. We never know who is watching as we sing and pray our way to victory.

When life brings heartache, suffering, and confusion, the night may seem long and lonely. We don’t sleep but instead toss and turn as anxiety floods our mind. In those dark hours of the night, our fears intensify. The walls of our prison seem to press in and keep us chained. But wait! There is another sound that begins to drown out the negative voices in our ear. We remember an old hymn whose words bring comfort as we sing.

‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
and to take him at his word;
just to rest upon his promise,
and to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”

Midnight will become our hour of deliverance as we lift our voice in prayer and praise. Let us sing over our hurts and pain. Sing over our disappointments. Sing over our anxieties and fears. God will listen and set us free.

Devotion by Mary Loudermilk