Have you ever thought about how much of our life is spent “in the middle” ? How often do we feel, “meh”, “mid”,  or “6-7” as my kids like to say? Do we find ourselves bored in the in-between or impatient, restless and without hope in the waiting? 

When I find myself in this place, I’m reminded of Paul and Silas in the book of Acts. They had been attacked, flogged, and thrown into prison for setting a woman free of an evil spirit. The jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Acts 16:25-26 says, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.”

If you read further, you’ll discover even more amazing things take place in this story, but I want to focus on this: “Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…” These guys were human just like you and me. They were thrown into jail even though they had done nothing wrong. They had no idea if they’d ever be free again. They could have just sat down and felt sorry for themselves or checked out waiting for the inevitable. They had a choice to make in the middle of darkness, they had a choice to make in the middle of hopelessness, they had a choice to make “in the middle”. And what did they choose? They chose prayer and worship. Paul and Silas turned their gaze heavenward beyond their current circumstance. Their shift in perspective, to glorify God, changed things – it created an upset in the atmosphere and affected everyone in the prison that night.

Now you may not find yourself in literal prison today, but perhaps you are waiting for news from a doctor’s report, parenting a difficult child, or desperate to be filled with purpose and meaning in this season. Can I encourage you to try something this week? Choose prayer and worship. These things aren’t magic formulas, but they do change something – they change us. Prayer and worship to the Lord moves our thoughts from ourselves, brings joy amid adversity, and points to our good Father who loves us and will never leave us or forsake us, especially in the middle.

Psalm 34:1 “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

NOTE: If you have a specific need for prayer...whether that is healing of a physical or mental health struggle, or a relationship that is damaged and hurting, or a reason to praise God and glorify Him...we would love to join with you on that prayer. Please send it into our confidential prayer team by clicking the link below. Thank you and God bless.