The Midnight Special

Acts 16:25-34

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

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Well, you wake up in the mornin, you hear the work bell ring,
And they march you to the table to see the same old thing.
Aint no food upon the table, and no pork up in the pan.
But you better not complain, boy, you get in trouble with the man.

Let the Midnight Special shine a light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine a light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine a light on me,
Let the Midnight Special shine a everlovin' light on me.

"The Midnight Special" performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival

There are two ways to consider the experience of the prisoner seeing the light of the special. The first is that it is quite possible that that sight could drive a man mad. Every night, after lights out, just when the noises of the night might settle a bit, in comes the light of freedom, shining on your wall, shining in your eyes, and there is nothing a man can do but watch it go by, knowing that it's going to happen again and again and again. Doing time can't be easy, but this reminder freedom may be too much to bear.

But then again, there is always the light of hope. This seems to be the way of the man in the song, waiting for "the Midnight Special shine a everlovin' light on me."

Paul was in this situation. He and Silas were in prison, it was about midnight, and they were singing Psalms. With all of the noises I can imagine around a prison, I can't imagine singing the Psalms at Midnight, but there it is.

Suddenly, an earthquake causes the doors to fly open and the chains to be loosed on all of the prisoners. The jailer, the man trusted with the care of the prisoners knew that if everyone escaped, his life was forfeit. He even drew his sword before even looking because who expects loosed prisoners to stay in their cells? Not that guy for sure.

This is where the witness of verse twenty-eight cries out in the night, "But Paul shouted in a loud voice, 'Do not harm yourself, for weare all here.'"

Paul stayed and Silas stayed because the witness they had to share with the world was more important than running out. Paul and Silas stayed because what they needed to do they could not do as fugitives. They had more important work to do and trusted God that it would not mean leaving them in this jail.

By this witness, the kingdom of heaven became richer. Because these men did not lose hope, the kingdom of heaven became richer. Don't lose hope. The kingdom of heaven is here.