Moment in the Word

Revelation 6:9-11 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. 10And they cried with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Lord (holy and true) dost thou not judge and revenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11And white robes were given to every one of them one; and it was said to them, that they should rest for a little time, till their fellow servants, and their brethren, who are to be slain, even as they, should be filled up (Douay-Rheims Bible).

After a 50-year-old prayer was finally answered this week, I am reminded that it's often hard to be patient when hurting. Furthermore, while God delays, He seems complicit in the trial of our faith, but He has His own reasons apart from our individual interests.

In the above passage, we note the impatience of the martyrs gathered under Heaven's Great Altar that stands immediately beside God's majestic White Throne, "How long, O Lord (holy and true) dost thou not judge and revenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth (DRB)?" Undoubtedly, disappointment greeted the disembodied souls seeking justice when they were told, "Be patient until more just like you are murdered for the Gospel!" Despite their discouragement, the fact remains that these faithful servants were closer in proximity to God's heart than anything else in Heaven.

Obviously, there are times when God simply does not make sense as we are used and abused for His sake, but the problem is a faulty religious paradigm that we have been taught to believe by a secularized, materialistic Church, "God's Kingdom serves our well-being, benefit, and prosperity;" however, nothing is farther from the truth!

Consider this verse, "And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints (Romans 8:28 - DRB)." When this text is quoted or preached, an improper focus is placed on the words "to them that love God, all things work together unto good" while mumbling or totally disregarding the phrase "to such as, ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE, are called to be saints (Caps for emphasis)!" The scriptural truth is that Believers/Saints are already chosen/predestined before Creation to be 'used by God' as tools for accomplishing His exclusive purpose according to His sovereign will (Eph. 1:4 & 11, 2 Thes. 2:13, Romans 9:11-26, Rev. 17:8). We're not just here so good things can happen to us! Rather, we are here so good things can happen for God!

When Moses was commissioned to approach Pharaoh who would be repeatedly manipulated against his will for the sake of God's glory (Exodus 7:3, Exodus 9:12, Exodus 10:20 & 27, Exodus 14:8, Romans 9:17-18), the Almighty made this hard statement, "Who made man's mouth? or who made the dumb and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? did not I (Exodus 4:11 – DRB)?" and in another place "I form the light, and create darkness, I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord that do all these things (Isaiah 45:7 – DRB)." Why? The answer is, "To promote and further God's will for the sake of His glory alone because absolutely no one else will be exalted in His presence (1 Cor. 1:29)."

And yet, as I learned this week when a 50-year-old prayer was finally answered, the Almighty Judge is also just while totally accomplishing His will in every aspect of the situation regardless of the time He uses to bring His purpose to pass. Truly, He does all things well (Mark 7:37).