The question posed to the Lord in today's verse is an ever present concern for some of God's people. In the case before us, the people crying out to the Lord had been faithful in their witness to the Lord while on earth and their payment from the listeners was to be murdered.
It is easy to understand the cry of the witnesses as they seek justice to be served on their murderers. At times we all have circumstances where we want the Lord to act but He seems to be "on vacation" or at least looking the other way.
These people did the right thing. They brought their concern to the Lord and asked when He would catch up with the evil doers and bring them to account for their heinous crime of murder against godly people.
We learn from this glimpse into heaven that saints there have knowledge of things down here on earth. Because the Lord wipes the tears from the eyes of all who enter His mansion, we deduce that sorrow and sadness flee away. In God's presence is fulness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Yet there seems to be some concerns experienced there.
If in heaven some of the saints have concerns about things down here and bring their concerns to the Lord, is it not proper for us to do as much? As children of the Lord we have the same privileges with our heavenly Father as the saints already in glory. We may come to the Lord in prayer and ask, "How much is enough?" or "When will you act O Lord? How long must we wait for justice to be done?"
Again and again God's people have turned to Habakkuk 1 and asked with the prophet, Habakkuk 1:1-2,12 (KJV)
"The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear!
even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One?
we shall not die. O Lord , thou hast ordained them for judgment;
and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction."
My dear reader, do not be afraid to come to the Lord with your confusion—your misunderstanding of your life and its ups and downs. There is nothing you can say to the Lord that He has not heard before from one or another of His children. There is nothing sinful in asking for information. The Creator Who has made us with minds with which to think expects us to seek to understand what is happening around us.
Isaiah 1:11,18 (KJV) reads, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
So we are called on to think.
On the other hand, Isaiah 55:8 (KJV) says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord."
Always recognize that when we deal with Almighty God we are dealing with a person infinitely greater and wiser than we are. Therefore, at times, we will be "out of our depth". When we are in water over our heads we need to cease to reason at things that are beyond our reason. We must then seek grace to accept what we cannot understand.
If that is your position today come to your loving Father in heaven and confess your ignorance and confusion and pray for grace to accept what you cannot understand.
You shall be heard and that amazing grace will be yours in abundance. You will then be enabled to say with Jesus, Matthew 11:26 (KJV) "Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight."