Kevin and I walked through a season of loss after loss. I cried out to the Lord and He took me to a surprising place to find comfort.
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?” (Revelation 6:9-10)
Even in the perfection of heaven, there are prayers and questions concerning God’s timing. This realization brought great comfort to me. God completely understands our confusion about His decision on when He will answer prayers on earth.
We do not need to feel guilty in our cries of “how long” but we do need to think correctly about God’s character. The martyrs in these verses brought their question confidently before the Lord because they knew and trusted His character. God is sovereign, meaning He reigns over all. God is in charge. He is the Lord. He is the one who rules and reigns. God is holy. He is perfect, there is nothing that taints His character or diminishes His word. The Lord is true, there is nothing false in Him. Thus, He is completely trustworthy. Because the Lord is trustworthy, we can approach Him with our questions and know He will answer us.
Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, (Revelation 6:11a)
Even in heaven, a specific timetable to prayers is not always shared. However, the Lord gives each one of them a gift and encourages them to hold on for a “little longer”. God does not abandon us in our time of waiting, in our time of wandering when the answer to our prayer will finally come. God gives us good things in the meantime and encourages us to wait until the answer does manifest.
God is your comfort and strength in the waiting. He will bring you close. These precious martyred saints were under the altar, near the throne of God. Our pain and loss draw us near to the Lord. He is concerned for us. He understands the hurts of our hearts. God knows all you have been through. Hold on a little longer. The Lord will answer our prayers in His time, His perfect time, His undisclosed time to us and even to heaven, but known by Him. His day of deliverance is coming. Hold on.