“O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord —how long?
Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.”
Psalm 6:1-4 ESV

We all ask this same question of God.
‘O, Lord – How long?’
We stand looking at the pain in our hearts and we ask, ‘How long?’
We watch the wicked seemingly prosper and we ask, ‘How long?’
We witness pain and suffering in the lives of others and we ask, ‘How long?’
We know there is pain yet to come in life and we ask, ‘How long?’

“I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.”
Psalm 6:6, 7 ESV

When it seems like The Lord doesn’t notice or that He has turned a deaf ear to sin, we ask what David did,
“Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” Psalm 10:1 ESV

But in reality, we know just as David did, that God is not so small or petty or timid that He would disregard such things or fail to show His justice. We know He hears and sees everything that goes on, that nothing stands outside His judgment.

“Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
forget not the afflicted.
Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart,
“You will not call to account”?
But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.”
Psalm 10:1, 12-14 ESV

God’s timing is perfect. His mercies are true. No suffering goes unnoticed and no wrong escapes His eye. When parents harm and neglect their children, He knows, He sees. When friends wound each other and His church suffers, He knows, He sees. When spouses are unfaithful, He knows, He sees. When our hearts groan and we cannot express our sorrow in words, He knows, He sees.

His timing is perfect. Our patience is not.
His plan is flawless. Our understanding is not.

“The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord ’s throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
The Lord tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
Let him rain coals on the wicked;
fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face.”
Psalm 11:4-7 ESV

It isn’t a matter of if God will be just, it is simply when His justice will be made known. God doesn’t forget. Jesus didn’t suffer needlessly. We were not given a His Holy Spirit without reason.

““For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?” Amos 3:7, 8 ESV

God will move, have no doubt of that, but He does so according to His will and in His timing. He has promised justice for the oppressed, and punishment for the wicked. It is coming.

“They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds.” Amos 3:10 ESV

And all the wrongs of mankind, all the bad things will come undone as the justice and wrath of God are poured out. The righteous may suffer today for His Name’s sake, but they are not forgotten or set aside. We do His work as we wait on His perfect timing.

“I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.

And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
2 Peter 1:13-21 ESV

So, in God’s perfect timing, be carried along by His Holy Spirit, doing the work He has set you to do. Trust in His timing, and allow the righteousness that He provides to rise in you, guiding you in His perfect will. GoLove people for our King. Share hope with the oppressed. Provide comfort to the sad. Reach out to the poor. Encourage the downtrodden and invite the masses to come know love and forgiveness in God’s perfect timing.

Leave the administration to God.
Do the work He has given you to do and don’t let anything hold you back.