Midnight Praise

 John Rolf is one of the most gifted and talented worship leaders I have ever met. We crossed paths when John was in college. He played multiple instruments. He wrote his own music. He produced his own cds from his bedroom playing each instrument and doing the vocals. Many times, I sat under his anointed leading in worship. 

One weekend he and I worked together to lead a college retreat. Late one night we planned a session of worship and praise. The only agenda was to seek God and praise Him. John sat down at an old upright piano and started playing. What happened next goes down as one of those all-time high God moments in my life. 

John played softly at first. We began a little before midnight. We entered the courts of Heaven with thanksgiving. Then he began to pound that piano playing song after song into the wee hours of the morning. He never stopped other than to play as he prayerfully sought God for the next song, and then off he went again. Playing until his fingers hurt and his voice weakened. I went to bed around 4:00 a.m. and several students were still singing going strong. John played until near 5:00 a.m. His hands were swollen and tender to the touch the next day. He led worship continuously for nearly six straight hours. He never stopped. He went from one song to another all night long. Midnight praise turned into all night praise. 

It is one of the few, if not the only time, I have ever sat in a midnight praise service. I have not thought of that event in decades. It brings back some warm memories. I lost touch with John and his beautiful wife Jessica. At one point I know they lived and ministered in Pennsylvania. 

This reminds me of another midnight praise service found in [Acts 16:25]. The scene was far different than a college retreat. It was in a jail. You might could say a dungeon. The inner part of the prison. Two sat there with bloodied bruised backs from the beating they had received earlier in the day. Their feet were locked in stocks. They did not whimper and whine. Instead, they prayed and praised at midnight. The other prisoners listened. 

What kind of people can still find reasons to pray and praise after being beaten severely? I can sum it up in something one of them wrote. "I count all things as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ." [Phil 3:8] NASU

Did you catch that. In view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ. Jesus meant more to Paul than freedom, comfort, security, and even health. He sang praise at midnight because his persecutors could not dampen his enthusiasm. They could not douse the holy flame that burned in his heart for Jesus. They could not beat, stone, lash, or imprison him enough to cause him to turn on Jesus. Instead of pining in self-pity, he chose prayer and praise. 

Sure, Paul and Silas suffered loss. With bloodied and bruised backs and feet in stocks, they chose to magnify their Lord. Many people who endure such hardships have chosen a different reaction. They get angry. Grow bitter. Cast blame at God. Murmur and complain. They do just the opposite of what Paul and Silas did. 

I heard a coach say once, "People say adversity builds character. I say adversity reveals character." I agree with him. There are many people who say they are Christians. When the heat of adversity and affliction hit them, what they truly believe comes out. Some maintain joy in the harshest seasons of life. They love God and cling to Him through the fiercest stormy seasons. They have built their lives on solid rock and not shifting sand. For others, they curse, get angry, bitter, and turn their backs on God whom they blame for it all. They crumble in the crucible of affliction.

At different seasons of my life, I have reacted like a shallow immature spoiled brat Christian. There have also been seasons when I reached down deep to find my soul anchored in Jesus and praise and faith buoyed in the midst of the pain and confusion. 

I think midnight praise in our darkest moments is some of the highest form of praise we ever offer. When tears accompany the worship. When grief grips the soul like vice grips. When the heart oozes with pain, confusion, and loss, to praise in that moment is inspiring. It is triumphant. 

During the midnight praise of Paul and Silas the other prisoners listened. I think they were comforted. For those moments they were lifted higher than their sufferings. Caught up in something greater than their circumstances. 

I know there are moments so excruciatingly crushing that the last thing you may feel like doing is praising or praying. I have been there too. Jesus offers something more valuable than smooth sailing through life. He offers real strength to persevere, genuine hope through faith, peace that surpasses understanding, and the greater gain of knowing Him than anything this world can offer. Midnight praise can lift us above our circumstances. 

I think about slaves before the American Civil War. They were mistreated and overworked. They labored in the blistering sun picking cotton until their fingers bled and their backs ached from bending over all day long. One of the ways they got through their days was singing praise. They were lifted higher than their afflictions in those moments through prayer and praise. We can learn from their examples as well as Paul and Silas. 

Midnight praise is a choice. A choice to adore rather than hate. A choice to sing rather than complain. A choice to worship rather than whine. A choice to praise instead of profaning. It is a choice I hope we all make in our midnight hour.