[2024] Difference Between Praying At 12am And 3am
As Christians, we cannot do without prayers. It is our lifeline without which, there is no true Christianity. A preacher once said, ‘the accurate measure of a successful Christian’s life is their prayer.’
Prayer is the bridge that connects humanity with divinity. Through prayer, we can access the help of the Almighty God in our personal lives, families, nation, and the whole world at large. Prayers can be offered at any time of the day and anywhere.
Due to the busy schedules most people have during the day, the only time left to pray mostly is at night when they should be asleep naturally; which can be between the hours of 12 am and 3 am. As you read through, we would show you the difference between praying at 12am and 3am, and the implications of praying after midnight.
Beyond communing with God, however, prayer also helps us in fighting spiritual battles and winning against the enemy of our souls. The word of God says ‘for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.’
To engage in spiritual warfare, we would most of the time want to use the night hour between the hours of 12 am and 3 am. This is very good as this is the time most spiritual activities take place and by praying at this time, you can stop the enemy from proceeding with his plans.
Biblical Difference Between Praying At 12am And 3am
The best time to pray at midnight is between 12am and 3am, or 3am to 6am. However, the difference between praying at 12am and 3am is that praying at midnight signifies praying at the third watch of the night. This time is such that ends one day and begins another. It is the transition between the previous day and that day.
At this time, a lot of activities are taking place in the spiritual realm and the devil and his agents are on a rampage to wreck people’s lives. But by praying at this time, you can make the enemy stay clear of you.
On the other hand, praying at 3 am means you are praying at the fourth and final watch of the night (3 am – 6 am). At this time, spiritual forces could be at a peak knowing that time is running out on them. By praying at this time, you can stop the evil plans the enemy has orchestrated against you for that day and you are also able to take charge of your day.
Nevertheless, please do note that there is nowhere in the Bible where it states that you must pray at a certain time of the day before your prayers on a particular matter are answered. The requirements that God gave us in His word for answers to our prayers are:
• a life free from sin –
‘The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much; …the prayer of the upright is his delight.’ [James 5:16bKJV; Proverbs 15:8bKJV]
• faith –
‘And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ [Matthew 21:22KJV]; and our prayers should be prayed in Jesus’ name – ‘And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.’ [John 14:13KJV].
Thus, we are not under any obligation to pray at a particular time before our prayers are answered.
However, if we would be truthful to ourselves, what other time do we have left to spend quality time seeking the face of God rather than during the night?
The day is usually filled with a lot of busyness and as such, it will be difficult for us to be able to pray without being distracted. The night, however, is filled with quiet and rest and we can pray to God without being distracted.
In addition, based on examples of the patriarchs of faith and their walk with God, we can infer that praying at midnight has great dividends of rewards for those who engage in it.
Jesus, our Lord, and Savior prayed all night and frequently at the third watch of the night. Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God at midnight and received a heavenly intervention. Jesus taught us about intercession using the midnight hour in His teaching. Jacob wrestled with God from the middle of the night till the breaking of the day and received a blessing that still speaks till today for his descendants.
Related Post: Dangerous Midnight Prayer Point
After Midnight Prayer
Midnight is usually a period when most people are asleep physically. It is a time when man tries to recover strength lost throughout the busy hours of the day. However, although the midnight hours seem to be a time of rest physically, it is a time of great activity spiritually.
Spiritually, the midnight hour is very active. This is the time when the agents of darkness strategize and scheme out several evils and attacks against people.
As a believer, you cannot just take this for granted and allow the devil to have free range over your life and family which is why after-midnight prayers are very important and necessary to defeat the schemes of the enemy over your soul.
By engaging in after-midnight prayers, you wage war against the enemies of your life. Also, you can thwart and scatter their plans and schemes against you at this time.
To productively engage in after-midnight prayers, you have to be decisive and firm in your mind and heart to pray at this time as there will be much opposition both from within and without to ensure you don’t pray.
If possible, get in touch with a fellow believer who can support you to ensure you engage productively in after-midnight prayers – Matthew 18:19: ‘Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.’
The devil knows that if you can take charge of your life at this time, he would be paralyzed and rendered helpless over your life and that is why he would want to do everything within his power to hinder your after-midnight prayers.
May God give you His grace and strength to pray in Jesus’ name.
Related Post: Prayer For Strength And Breakthrough
After Midnight Prayer – Things To Bear In Mind
After midnight prayers have tremendous benefits for those who give themselves to it. Quickly, let’s look into the implications of after midnight prayer. Yes, this is important to properly understand the difference between praying at 12am and 3am, and why you should pray at this time range of the night.
#1. It will require you to deny yourself sleep.
Ps 119:62 – ‘At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.’
Truth be told, praying after midnight when you ought to be sleeping, is in no way an easy task. Your physical body is going to fight against it loudly and it will demand of you a strong mind to bring your body into subjection so that you can seek the face of God.
Considering what David the priestly, prophetic psalmist said in this psalm. ‘…I will rise…’ It was a conscious exercise of the will to do that. Thus, you are going to have to fight against the weakness and weariness of the flesh to engage in after midnight prayers.
This is a battle everyone who will pray after midnight has to overcome. When Jesus took his 3 closest disciples namely: Peter, James, and John to the garden of Gethsemane to pray, they found it difficult to stay awake and pray with Jesus. And Jesus told them, ‘…The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.’
Thus, you will need to fight against the weakness of your flesh to engage in after midnight prayers.
#2. Total repentance from all sins
Another thing you should bear in mind is that you must repent from all known sins.
God’s word says in the eighteenth verse of the sixty-sixth chapter of the Psalms that ‘if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.’ Thus, for you as an individual if you are going to be effective, is that there must be no iota of sin in your life otherwise, God, to whom you are praying will not hearken to your voice.
#3. You must have forgiven anyone who has offended you from your heart
Whenever we are going to seek the face of God whether after midnight or any other time of the day if we want Him to hear us, we must forgive others who might have offended us in any way.
Jesus Christ emphasized this while He was here on earth: ‘And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any…’ Therefore, we must forgive others who might have done us any bad.
#4. You wage war against the enemy of your soul
A life without challenges or battles to fight and win will be a purposeless, meaningless life. We must encounter challenges or difficulties in our lives as this is what shapes us into who we ought to be. However, although everyone faces one challenge or the other in life, it is not everyone that overcomes them.
Praying after midnight affords us the opportunity of fighting against the enemy of our lives and winning against him.
The midnight hour is very crucial and the devil goes about seeking whose life to wreck at midnight. The implication of after-midnight prayers will be that you will be able to stop the activities of the devil over your life, career, family, health, and so on.
It was at midnight that the angel of death went out in the land of Egypt to destroy the firstborn of all the Egyptians who were not covered by the blood. Don’t joke with after midnight prayers especially if the devil is wreaking havoc in your life or family.
Pay the price of denying yourself a little bit of sleep and pray to stop his activities and plans over you.
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