Revelation Chapter 6: Verses 9-11 (NIV)
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters were killed just as they had been.
I’m sure nobody really likes having to wait for something that they want. There will be plenty of young children at this point in December who are impatiently waiting until Christmas to see if the presents they are hoping for are waiting for them under the Christmas tree. But its even harder to wait when the thing that we are hoping for is peace or justice, and we know that this is something we can’t achieve by ourselves.
We may pray earnestly to God for these things to come quickly. But as with anything else that we pray to God for, He may tell us to wait. That’s hard when we watch the news and see everything that’s happening. Does that mean God doesn’t care? No, it doesn’t. We may not understand why we need to wait for these things, but those of us who have been followers of Jesus for a while, know that God has never let us down thus far, and He will not let injustice and suffering go unpunished. The Father had to watch the suffering and injustice of Jesus death on the cross, and He allowed it because it opened the door for believers to have a relationship with Him.
Dear Lord,
It is hard to watch suffering and injustice when it seems to be on such a scale in these days. Help me to trust that You will not let these things go unpunished in the fulness of eternity, even though I don’t understand why I have to wait. I ask in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.