The Midnight Hour

January 15, 2013 sunrise

photo taken by Obedient One on board flight bound for Manila

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, 

and the prisoners were listening to them.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake,

so that the foundations of the prison were shaken;

and immediately all the doors were opened

and everyone's chains were loosed.

- Acts 16:25-26




So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD,
His going forth is as certain as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the rain,
Like the spring rain watering the earth.
- Hosea 6:3

The holidays are over. Obedient One and I arrived in Manila early Tuesday morning. At the baggage claim, we waited a long time for our third suitcase to appear on the conveyor until we were the only ones left. There was a similar suitcase going around, but it was not ours. We then realized that someone had picked up my daughter's bag by mistake.

The airport personnel were quick to assist us. They checked the tag, identified the owner, and called him on his mobile phone. Fortunately he picked up his phone, and was informed of the mix-up. That was the only time he realized he had taken the wrong bag.

After an hour of waiting, Obedient One finally had her own suitcase back. Because of the delay, we were caught in the morning rush hour when people were on their way to work. We reached our home at about 10 a.m.

Come to think of it, the delay was a small price to pay in exchange for recovering a lost bag. Things could have been worse. I was truly thankful that heavenly Father had His eyes on us, and didn't allow us to suffer loss. Another thing I was grateful for was the fact that my dear friend Rosemarie had sent her driver and Ford Expedition to pick us up from the airport. Despite the heavy traffic, we were very comfortable as we made our way through the clogged avenues leading to our home.

But really, losing a suitcase... being stuck in heavy traffic... what are they compared to the more weighty matters pertaining to one's eternal destiny?

Nevertheless, I am amazed at the goodness of God in taking care of those things for His children. He knows... He cares. He stoops down to where we are.

Taking a look at the circumstances of my own life, I am always reminded that I am so dependent on God... for everything. He alone knows the many concerns that I lift up to Him on a daily basis.

And He wants me to deepen my understanding of His ultimate agenda. To live every minute of my life in the light of His kingdom reign.

How easy it is to be sidetracked, or lose one's focus.

As Neville Johnson reminds us: "The past year has been a year of cascading events that will continue to shape the prophetic, political, and economic landscape. We are now on the final lap of the race that will ultimately lead to the final harvest and the return of Jesus. To be alive in this hour is a great privilege which we must not waste." 

A great privilege which we must not waste.

These words tug at my heartstrings.

There is much truth to be learned, to be digested, to be understood, and lived out.

In September of 2012, Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) ushered in the year 5773 in the Hebraic calendar, the year we now are in.

The year '73' is ayin gimel in the Hebrew alphabet: ayin is the sixteenth letter having a numeric value of 70, while gimel is the third letter and has a numeric value of 3.

Ayin means "eye" - to see, and by connotation, to understand and to obey.  

Every decade has an overarching theme, and three years ago we entered the decade of ayin, what prophets call "The Seeing Years."

We are not just entering a new season, we are entering a new era... an era when God will not let His glory remain hidden any longer, but will choose to reveal it to those who have the eyes to see what the Father is doing, and the ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

Just as Moses turned to "see" the fire in the burning bush, and then had an encounter with the Living God, so is the Father calling forth His deliverers from the wilderness, who will turn to "see" ... and hear... then do as He says.

The Lord is calling forth His deliverers to set His people free from the cruel taskmasters of complacency, materialism, self-righteousnessness, deception, and unbelief.

Moses was brought up in the palace of Pharaoh and therefore understood the protocol of kings.

Indeed, he was destined to stand before kings.

But Moses needed to spend time in the wilderness to form his character... to give him a heart of humility... before he could be trusted to release the miracles.

Wilderness time, character formation, is essential that the eyes of our understanding be opened and we become the vessels through which God's miracles will be released.

During this decade, God is calling His people to prepare themselves and be ready for the next great move of His Spirit.

Number 3 in the Hebrew alphabet is gimel, symbolic of the camel. Camels are burden bearing beasts able to tolerate the desert heat and go for many days without water.

For many of us, the past year has been one of desert hardship, in more ways than one. But in the Father's plan, it was the wilderness of heart preparation.

During ayin gimel, the Father wants to show His faithfulness of provision and release to those who will remain faithful to press on despite the heat and the dryness.

I want to be found faithful despite the difficulties and the uncertainties of life.

I want to see the new things that the Father is showing.

I want to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

The year 2013 is prophesied to be a year of:

- darkness and light
- the goodness and the severity of the Lord
- the maturing of both good and evil
- a release of the Lord's favor, together with His judgment

As a church we need to have a single eye, not blinded by offense, wrong priorities, or unbelief, but to  see clearly, that we  all may move as one into the new era, the final lap of the race that will ultimately lead to the end time harvest and the return of Jesus.



The past weeks I have had to constantly come before God to repent for not putting my priorities in order. There is a call for simplicity, for consistency, for re-ordering of my priorities, for more intensive praying, and digging more deeply into His word.

This morning in Victory Fellowship I was once again convicted by the words of Pastor Edgar.

Battered and bruised from severe beating, imprisoned, and in chains for delivering a woman from the spirit of divination, Paul and Silas were not focusing on their sad fate. They were praising and worshiping God at the top of their voices.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake,

so that the foundations of the prison were shaken;

and immediately all the doors were opened

and everyone's chains were loosed.

Earthquakes are rather normal in Macedonia, but what was beyond normal was the timing of this particular earthquake, its intensity, and its location.

In response to the heartfelt worship of Paul and Silas, God sends an earthquake that opens their prison doors, and unshackles them, as well as all the other prisoners around them, from their chains!

And they were not even asking to be set free...

Several words strike me in this story...

At midnight.

Suddenly.

Immediately.

In the darkness of our midnight hour, God is waiting for the right response... a response from the heart.

God shakes things in our lives that He may open our prison doors, and unshackle us from our chains.

The time is over for "church as usual." God is bringing us to a deeper dimension of kingdom living. As Paul says, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand." (Romans 13:12)


Father, I want my life to be a reflection of my worship to You. 

My physical circumstances may move or shake me, but in my spirit, I want to remain steadfast and anchored in You alone. 

Open the eyes of my understanding that I may see You, and hear You, and act accordingly... 

as a deliverer setting the captives free... 

as a bride longing for the return of her Bridegroom.

You hear the cry of my spirit, the desire of my heart.

You understand.






Some recent pictures of the Women of Purpose retreat:

At Starbucks, waiting for the rest of the group

At Jing's beach house in Miranda

Dusk at Miranda Beach

photo taken by Lidia on January 11, 2013

Neville Johnson, The Year Ahead

Melissa Flores, Defining Words

Lisa Butler, New Wells in the Year of Ayin