My God is a Way-Maker Pt 3: On Time

You really don’t know what you believe until you reach the Midnight Hour.

What is the “Midnight Hour”?

It is the time where situations reach their highest intensity:

• When the temptation of despair and hopelessness reach their climax
• When the actual night is at its darkest point, right before morning
• Biblically, it is the moment right before breakthrough

The life-changing revelations of God often do not come to us when life is comfortable, when everything is “going right”, when our cupboard are full of food, our bank accounts are nicely "padded" with extra, everybody is treating us the way we want to be treated, everything is explainable, and we are “living the dream”. The deeper revelations of God often come when we face struggles and in our struggle we still believe in the promises of God. And these revelations are directly linked to our growth as God’s children. Our level of maturity is determined by how we face these difficult situations.

Often this is the time when everything in your world feels like it has been shaken……

“Then [at Mount Sinai] His voice shook the earth, but now He has given a promise: Yet once more I will shake and make tremble not only the earth but also the [starry] heavens. Now this expression, Yet once more, indicates the final removal and transformation of all [that can be] shaken—that is, of that which has been created—in order that what cannot be shaken may remain and continue. Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe; For our God [is indeed] a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:26-29)

A Christian, a true follower of Jesus Christ, will go through a “shaking” so that the fleshly and worldly things in them, that hinder and harm them, are no longer there. It is the same process as burning away the dross. Our God is a consuming fire, and if you allow Him, He will burn away all those things that do not resemble Him. And it, like the shaking, is painful to our carnal man, the flesh. “Shaking” and “Fire” are not words that bring comfort and excitement. And neither do the actions. But they are as necessary to the Christ follower as the breath in their lungs.

So how does the “Midnight Hour” fit into the “Shaking” and “Fire” of God?

Before the Midnight Hour, there is often great trouble going on in the life of a believer. They may feel like everything is falling apart, including themselves. They may find it impossible to move forward and are tempted to feel hopeless, but often these are God-ordained moments. These are the moments of “Shaking” and “Fire” that brings about maturity in the believer.

I’m going to lay out three separate examples how God works in the Midnight Hour.

1. The Tenth Plague  (Exodus 11-12)

In the Exodus story, when Moses comes to deliver the Hebrew people from Pharaoh’s slave-hold, God brings about ten plagues that devastate the great Egyptian nation. Each plague targets and defeats the Egyptian gods, displays Jehovah God’s power and sovereignty as the One True God, and shows God’s favor and care over His chosen people, the Hebrews. Each plague also increases in intensity and destruction until reaching the climax, which is the death of the firstborn.

“And Moses said, Thus says the Lord, About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; And all the firstborn in the land [the pride, hope, and joy] of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the maidservant who is behind the hand mill, and all the firstborn of beasts. There shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as has never been nor ever shall be again. But against any of the Israelites shall not so much as a dog move his tongue against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel.” (Exodus 11:4-7)

Now this is a great example of the Midnight Hour trial. The Hebrew people had been enslaved by the Egyptians for many generations. They had suffered many things, including the death of their firstborn babies, after the current Pharaoh’s father commanded they be thrown into the river Nile, for fear of the Hebrew people’s population growth (Note: GROWTH scares the enemy!)

And now they have endured persecution from Pharaoh for Moses’ “interference” in their lives and they have witnessed the mighty and terrifying plagues brought about by God’s hand on their behalf. In the midnight hour, could they depend on God to fully deliver them from the hand of Pharaoh?

Uh, yes, of course they could! They acted in faith, obeying God’s word and He did not let them down! News to YOU: If you walk in faith and in obedience to the LORD, He will not let you down! Do it God’s way because He is the Way-Maker.

2. The Kinsman Redeemer (Ruth 3)

In the book of Ruth, we come across the story of a young Moabite woman who had nothing else to lose and everything to gain. Ruth (a Moabite), the widowed daughter-in-law of the widowed Naomi (an Israelite) had walked away from her family, her home, and her pagan gods to follow her mother-in-law to the land of Judah. Now it wasn’t like they were leaving much behind (a land of famine), yet they didn’t exactly have much to look forward to (no land, no job), but they made the choice to walk towards God, looking for His favor.

It was in this turn towards the LORD, that their lives were changed forever. But it took a Midnight Hour of faith and obedience in the face of uncertainty to receive God’s favor and blessings.

Ruth had already caught the eye of Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s deceased husband, who had much land and wealth. Ruth had not intentionally sought his attention, but her loyalty, dedication, and hard work caused her to stand out. And it is here that Naomi sees a glimmer of hope.

“Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to Ruth, My daughter, shall I not seek rest or a home for you, that you may prosper? And now is not Boaz, with whose maidens you were, our relative? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash and anoint yourself therefore, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. But when he lies down, notice the place where he lies; then go and uncover his feet and lie down. And he will tell you what to do. And Ruth said to her, All that you say to me I will do. So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had told her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then [Ruth] came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. At midnight the man was startled, and he turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth your maidservant. Spread your wing [of protection] over your maidservant, for you are a next of kin. And he said, Blessed be you of the Lord, my daughter. For you have made this last loving-kindness greater than the former, for you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not. I will do for you all you require, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of strength (worth, bravery, capability).” (Ruth 3:1-11)

In Ruth’s Midnight Hour, she risked her reputation and her livelihood in the hopes that God would pour out His favor on her. And He did! She had grown from a pagan, lonely and widowed Moabite to a God-fearing, married Israelite who would be included in the lineage of Christ! But it took faith in God and obedience to His word (the kinsman redeemer was from the Israelite Law of Moses) to make it through her Midnight Hour.

3. The Jailhouse Hymn (Acts 16:22-34)

Of all the New Testament apostles, Paul was perhaps the most bold and passionate when it came to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The man had endured beatings, stoning’s, shipwrecks, verbal persecutions, gossip, slander, and multiple imprisonments. This is where we find him in Acts 16. Paul and fellow Christ follower Silas had traveled to Macedonia to spread the Gospel when they were brutally beaten and swiftly imprisoned.

Prisons in those days were not known for comfort or sanitation. Here two men, badly beaten with open wounds, sat chained to other prisoners in a cold dark prison, all for speaking the word of God! What a time to throw your hands up and say “That’s it! I quit!”

I mean, I’ve had bad days, but nothing to rival this situation. 

Instead of giving up, instead of complaining about their troubles, they begin to pray and sing songs to God. In their midnight hour, the darkest moment of the night, God found them lighting up the prison with hope, faith, and love.

“But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them, Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone’s shackles were unfastened. When the jailer, startled out of his sleep, saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was on the point of killing himself, because he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, Do not harm yourself, for we are all here! Then [the jailer] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling and terrified he fell down before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out [of the dungeon] and said, Men, what is it necessary for me to do that I may be saved?” (Acts 16:25-30)

In the Midnight Hour Paul and Silas had endured a shaking that terrified those around them. But they remained steadfast and because of their faith and obedience not only did they receive the deliverance of God, but they reached a lost soul and brought him into the fold of Kingdom of God!

Glory to GOD!!!

You see, our LORD is a Way-Maker! He always has been and continues to be.

All He asks is your faith in Him and obedience to His word. I cannot sit here and tell you that lack of faith and disobedience will get you through the “Midnight Hour” trial of “Shaking” and “Fire.” Those are not attributes of a growing Christian.

We know from the scriptures that where there is no faith, there are no works of God’s power (Matthew 13:58). We also know from the scriptures that God does not reward disobedience (1 Samuel 15:21-23).

So here I warn you: Be cautious that you DO NOT ABORT YOUR BREAKTHROUGH because of lack of faith and disobedience to God.

It is in the midnight hour that many give up or try to take matters into their own hands. Paul warns his fellow shipmates of this when on the trip to Rome, after having had many troubles including a typhoon.

“The fourteenth night had come and we were drifting and being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors began to suspect that they were drawing near to some land. So they took soundings and found twenty fathoms, and a little farther on they sounded again and found fifteen fathoms. Then fearing that we might fall off [our course] onto rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and kept wishing for daybreak to come. And as the sailors were trying to escape [secretly] from the ship and were lowering the small boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, Unless these men remain in the ship, you cannot be saved. Then the soldiers cut away the ropes that held the small boat, and let it fall and drift away.” (Acts 27:27-32)

Unless you stay on the good old “Gospel Ship,” you are not going to reach the fullest purpose God has for you. I’m not saying that if you don’t mature that you’ll not spend eternity with the LORD. Only the LORD can answer that.

But I urge you to regard the following Holy Spirit inspired writings of Paul from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 and 10:1-5:

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but [only] one receives the prize? So run [your race] that you may lay hold [of the prize] and make it yours. Now every athlete who goes into training conducts himself temperately and restricts himself in all things. They do it to win a wreath that will soon wither, but we [do it to receive a crown of eternal blessedness] that cannot wither. Therefore I do not run uncertainly (without definite aim). I do not box like one beating the air and striking without an adversary. But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].”

“For I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that our forefathers were all under and protected by the cloud [in which God’s Presence went before them], and every one of them passed safely through the [Red] Sea, And each one of them [allowed himself also] to be baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea [they were thus brought under obligation to the Law, to Moses, and to the covenant, consecrated and set apart to the service of God]; And all [of them] ate the same spiritual (supernaturally given) food, And they all drank the same spiritual (supernaturally given) drink. For they drank from a spiritual Rock which followed them [produced by the sole power of God Himself without natural instrumentality], and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with the great majority of them, for they were overthrown and strewn down along [the ground] in the wilderness.”

If you read further, Paul lists the many pitfalls of those same Israelites who perished in the wilderness:

• ·         They were carnal minded
• ·         They were idol worshipers
• ·         They were immoral
• ·         They tempted the LORD
• ·         They continuously complained about their circumstances

WHOA!!! Any toes feeling raw right about now?

I care greatly about you and your soul, but most importantly so does GOD almighty! He cares so much He sent His ONE and ONLY Son Jesus to pay for OUR sins by receiving OUR punishment.

The scriptures put it this way “Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God, But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord has made to light upon Him the guilt and iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, [yet when] He was afflicted, He was submissive and opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:4-7)

After all that the LORD has done to make a way for us, how could we give up at the last leg of the race? How could we not believe in Him? How could we turn away from following His word?

I KNOW things are difficult. I KNOW that life is hard and there are unexpected problems that seem so impossible. I KNOW what it’s like to feel alone, like no one understands what you’re going through. I KNOW what it’s like to take hit after hit after hit after hit…..

But I also KNOW in Whom I believe and after every hit, He is there to pick me up. In my loneliest moments I KNOW what it feels like to be held by God. In the face of my biggest problems (mountains) and hardest life situations (winds and waves), I KNOW the Mountain Mover and the Storm Calmer.

My brother, my sister, please do not give up now. The night may seem dark and unending, but when you’ve got Jesus on your side, Jesus Who is the LIGHT OF THE WORLD and the ALPHA AND OMEGA, you’ve got all you could ever need to succeed!

His word ensures us that “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

Press into God. Hold onto Him (rather let Him be your anchor to hold you steady). He is faithful, mighty, sovereign! What better hands could we be in than the LORD’S? Answer: There are no better hands!

I love you, I bless you, and I encourage you my brothers and sisters in Christ! DO NOT GIVE UP!!! Your breakthrough is coming, in the Midnight Hour.