Will You Sing at Midnight?
Sharon Betters
TODAY’S TREASURE
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 NIV
Throughout Scripture, we have stories of people faced with circumstances that crushed their plans and their dreams. Many were walking by faith, doing exactly what God was directing them to do.
Paul and Silas were imprisoned based on false charges (Acts 18). These two men were serving God in a way that led to transformed lives. Some of that transformation resulted in evil men losing money. These men then incited the community so that people severely beat up Paul and Silas and threw them into the inner prison – a dark, damp, creepy place. Then they were put in stocks. Their bodies were bruised and bleeding from the beating. Now they were trapped in stocks and unable to move. What was their response?
At midnight, they sang loudly and worshipped God. How could they worship, when they appeared to be punished for doing exactly what God told them to do? Have you ever felt that sense of injustice in your own life? What was the default mode of Paul and Silas that equipped them to sing at midnight?
The response of Paul and Silas to unjust imprisonment and beatings is a great example of how pushing life through the grid of a mission statement works.
Perhaps nowhere else is there such a succinct mission statement than the words spoken by Paul in Today’s Treasure:
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 NIV
Paul’s declared mission statement transformed his behavior in that dark, creepy, prison cell. Paul was a man like anyone else. Yes, his faith soars in the darkest of places, but don’t think he didn’t wonder if he missed God’s instructions. I imagine Paul and Silas whispering, “Do you think we misread God’s call? Were we too outspoken? Should we have left town when we knew trouble was brewing? Weren’t we doing what God told us to do?” We don’t know what they said, but at midnight, they broke out in loud singing and worship of the very God who could have protected them from this extremely painful experience. Their default system inspired them to worship in a way that everyone could hear.
This story brought me great comfort and instruction in the midnight of my life after the deaths of our son and his friend, so much so, that I developed a seminar called, Will You Sing at Midnight?.
Let this question roll around in your heart and mind today. Will you sing at midnight?
PRAYER
Oh Lord, the midnights of life terrify me. Thank you for the people ahead of me in life’s journey who show me how to sing when the lights go out in my life. May I be one of those singers for someone coming behind me.
Aging with Grace, Flourishing in an Anti-Aging Culture
Aging with Grace by the Power of the Gospel
Whatever season of life you’re in, God has equipped you to flourish—to live in the transforming power and beauty of His grace. As we age, we can easily lose sight of this message as cultural ideals glorifying youth take center stage.
In this book, Sharon W. Betters and Susan Hunt offer present-day and biblical examples of women who rediscovered gospel-rooted joy later in their lives. Equipped with a biblical view of aging, Aging with Grace will help you encounter afresh the gospel that “is big enough, good enough, and powerful enough to make every season of life significant and glorious.”
Aging with Grace was written for individual and small group study. A Leader’s Guide is available along with Ask an Older Woman five-minute videos and extended conversations with older women about flourishing in an anti-aging culture. Go to agingwithgrace.online to learn more and to order the book and Leader’s Guide.
More free resources for help, hope, and healing:
Help & Hope audio stories produced by MARKINC address some of life's darkest circumstances that are often difficult to discuss yet need to be faced as we help one another walk by faith. These are the real-life testimonies of people who have walked through these experiences and have found their strength in Christ. Listening to these resources is also a way to sure up your foundation for those uninvited moments when your faith is challenged. We hope you will be encouraged and that you will share these stories with others to help them persevere in faith. Listen to the first Help & Hope podcast, a private interview with founders Chuck and Sharon Betters as they talk about the loss of their son, Mark: Loss of a Child
About the Author: Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Wednesday, 08 May 2024.
SHARE
