The Big Deal, II

Isa.62:^6-7 “O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord.  Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work, until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.”

What is the big deal about midnight prayer? The sixth reason is Midnight Is The Turning Point Between Night And Day. Ask Paul and Silas, the turning point happens at midnight. Some things in the spirit realm are speaking to us and they are instructing us. Things turn around when we engage in midnight prayers [vigils]. The seventh reason is: Praying At Midnight Is A Sacrifice That Will Not Go Unrewarded. When I became a believer, by God’s grace, I never really struggled with hearing from God. However, when I became a Pastor, I did not have expressions of Prophesy, Word of Knowledge, the gift of Working of Miracles but I was hungry for these gifts. I told God that I knew He wanted to give me these gifts, so I will pray. At midnight, I will get up and pray.

Then at a point, the enemy wanted to cheat me with sleep. I noticed that I would start with, ‘In Jesus Name…’ and at six o’clock the following morning I would say, ‘Amen!’ So, I decided that I would be getting out of bed since previously I was trying to do vigils on the bed. I decided to kneel by the bed when I wake up at midnight to pray. So, I will start with a praise song, ‘Glory be to God in the highest, amen’ and in the morning I would respond, ‘for His mercies endureth forever, amen.’ I realized that I was still being cheated but I was determined to change that. Then, one night as I was praying, sleep was subtly trying to convince me, ‘You have worked all day and you know you are still going to work tomorrow. Just sit down and you will be fine.’

If you have been tricked once, should it happen again? There was a gravel strip in my compound, I took my body outside and I knelt on gravel. Let me see how I would fall asleep praying on gravel. Guess what? Miraculously, no sleep came. The gravel strip became my prayer place, where I would go to at midnight to pray, ‘Fill me with Your power, Holy spirit’ and I would pray in tongues for…I do not know how long. That season passed and I forgot. But praying is a sacrifice that will not go unrewarded. When everything began to burst forth, I was blown away.

Then someone will say, ‘Pastor, just lay your hands on me so that I will receive the power that you have.’ I will lay hands on you so that you will have the power to go on your own gravel and pray your own prayers. This is so important; it is going to be inconveniencing but praying at midnight is a sacrifice that will not go unrewarded. Lam.2:¹⁹ “Arise, Cry out in the night, in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord, lift up thy hands towards Him for the life of thy young children…” (NIV paraphrased,). God is emphasizing the time to cry out because of the significance of night prayer. ‘Children’ also means everything that your life will produce, your destiny, career, business, ideas, innovation, calling. It also means things that you gave life to. It is also a call for intercession for the life of your children.

Prayer:  Father, I will arise and cry out at midnight, I will pour out my heart before You Lord, I will lift up my voice for my children. Lord, answer me, in Jesus Name. Amen!