Midnight is Coming Week 21
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Photo Credit: D. Kelly @ Grant Co., WV
REFLECTION
"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, KJV)
A DEEPER LOOK
Read
IMAGINE THIS
If it can go wrong, it is going wrong.
Can't sleep.
Can't get caught up.
Nothing is the way I want it to be.
I need a break, a reprieve.
Surely enough is enough.
And it isn't just me, but my whole family - biological, work, church.
You name it, we’ve faced it.
Folks everywhere are going through something and wanting out.
But as Christians – followers of Christ – we should expect this stuff right?
Jesus went through a lot of dark hours, yet He persevered. Held on. Kept going.
He even sent us the Holy Spirit so we could too…
Nevertheless, the time is now.
Quite frankly: I need a break.
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Have you ever considered the power of midnight? At this hour,
under the disguise of darkness, as one day ends, a brand new one begins. A.
Brand. New. Day. I was reading Acts 16
when I suddenly experienced an ah-ha moment. I realized that midnight was right
around the corner. If I trust God and humble myself to accept the things I
cannot change, He’ll get me through. Through – not over – in order to get where
He is leading me. And I’m going to need a few things for the excursion: perseverance, praise, even these chains.
So I can either kick off my
shoes, prop up my feet and wait it out; or I can roll up my sleeves and work
through it with Him. In other words, I can either stop or keep going...either
way, the journey is mine to take.
+ +
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Paul and Silas found themselves beaten, bound, and locked
up behind bars. They were surrounded by others in similar situations but
instead of midnight being the end of a bad day, it became a new day of
possibilities. In prison chains they realized the power of midnight praise. The
others listened and waited, Paul and Silas sang out to God. They were seizing the
opportunity to praise Him. And God heard their plea. It was through the power
of midnight praise that chains were broken, the ground literally shook beneath their
feet and prison doors burst open. When those doors flew open, so did doors of
opportunity. They were all free. Free to flee, free to make new friends, free to
encourage broken souls, and free to share the story of Christ. Interestingly enough,
they all remained. Right there in the middle of their darkest hour, everyone
under the sound of praise knew that something spectacular had happened… all because
Paul and Silas had chosen midnight as the perfect time to vocalize their faith.
+ + +
Unlike most of our darkest hours, theirs was a literal
prison. But ours? Well ours probably looks more like negative dollar signs, a
clock winding down, family problems, or deteriorating health. There are so many
things we recognize as our darkest hour. Horrible things. However, these
things always morph into midnight...a new beginning. A new day. Sadly, what we need to accept, is that we have
to experience hard times, for ourselves, in order to get through them. Easy?
Nope, not at all. Do they it hurt? Yes, definitely. My advice?
MY THOUGHTS
Journal your thoughts here
Each to us have to determine how we are willing to spend
our time in those midnight hours. Consider yours this week - and create a
prayerful plan of action.
In Christ with love and compassion,
Coach Kelly
#BeyondTheMirror #YourLifeCoachingWV
[Published:
2018-05-23
2017-05-16]
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