We all go through hard, challenging seasons. These times have also been coined the “midnight hour.”
Paul and Silas had a midnight hour. After being flogged, beaten and stripped, they were thrown into an inner cell of a prison. With even their feet bound, it appeared all was lost—they weren’t getting out. But instead of feeling defeated by their circumstances, the Bible says that at the midnight hour, they lifted their voices and began to pray and sing hymns to God.
Can you imagine that? In their midnight hour, what probably was the darkest hour in their life, they chose to worship God and have a grateful attitude. They put their focus on God, not on their circumstances.
And suddenly, an earthquake shook that prison. Suddenly, those chains broke and the door flew open. Paul and Silas were set free, not of their own accord, but by the supernatural power of God.
Praise and thanksgiving bring about suddenlies in our lives! It may be the midnight hour for you. It may be the darkest hour you’ve ever seen, but if you will keep your focus on God and maintain a grateful attitude, you will see God move Heaven and earth for you.
But the key is to stay connected to God through prayer and praise. Keep your trust in Him because He will strengthen you and bring you to victory.
Remember, everyone else may be asleep in your midnight hour, but you can always count on God because the Bible says that He neither slumbers nor sleeps. He works the night shift!
Lisa Osteen Comes is an Associate Pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas under the leadership of her brother, Pastor Joel Osteen. In her role, she brings over 25 years of preaching and ministry experience to the congregation and is involved in many aspects of the church's leadership.
Lisa is a notable miracle of our day, having been healed of a crippling disease as a baby. Injured at birth, Lisa developed a condition similar to cerebral palsy which doctors said would cripple her and cause her early death. But as her parents prayed for her, God miraculously healed Lisa before her first birthday.
In 1990, while serving at Lakewood Church, again Lisa's life was spared when she opened a package containing a pipe bomb that exploded in her lap, riddling her office with nails and shrapnel. God miraculously protected her and she escaped with minor injuries.
Through all of her challenges and experiences, Lisa has become known as a respected ministry leader and Bible teacher. Lisa's passion for God's Word and love for people radiate in her practical, yet insightful messages. Lisa is a graduate of Oral Roberts University. She and her husband, Kevin, work together at Lakewood Church and they have three children.