At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.
– Psalm 119:62, KJV
Life is not about how many times you fall, but how many times you rise. I know that when you are tired, you are angry, depressed, oppressed, rejected, dejected, feeling abused and used, living with the pain with no sign of the gain that it is hard to find the good in anything. Every time you seem to get your footing, life clotheslines you like a professional wrestler or delivers a punishing, bone-jarring tackle like a feared middle linebacker. I get it. I have been there. I am going through it, too.
Just as the Psalmist wrote, we must rise at our midnight and praise God. Acts 16:25-40 details the miraculous story of Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail. Paul and Silas were beaten, arrested, and thrown in jail for sharing the gospel. Just imagine the scene of Paul and Silas in jail, there feet bound with stocks of iron, their wounds were still fresh, still stinging, and still bloody. How did Paul and Silas respond to such treatment and an obviously unfair treatment?
“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.” (Acts 16:25-26, KJV).
I just want to encourage you that whatever horrible prison or pit you find yourself in, have the courage to rise and praise God. You are an overcomer in Christ. You are a survivor. Be thankful. Be joyous in spite of the circumstances. Be mindful of God’s presence. Do not worry about what is not in your control, only work on what you can control- your thoughts, perceptions, actions, words, and responses. You never know the affect your praise will have on those around you, as the whole prison was shaken and the chains fell off the other prisoners. God bless you all.
Triumphant In Christ 