Devotional 12 March 2025

Revelation 9:13-15 ESV “Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind.”

The golden altar in Revelation is where the prayers of the saints rise before God (Revelation 8:3-4). Those prayers are not forgotten. When this trumpet sounds, God’s answer to those cries for justice unfold.

Throughout Scripture, God’s people have been encouraged to bring their suffering and longing for justice before Him. The martyrs in Revelation 6:9-10 cried out, “How long, O Lord?” — a plea not for revenge, but for God’s righteousness to prevail. Similarly, the Psalms are filled with cries for God to bring judgment on evil (Psalm 94:1-2).

Yet God’s justice is never rash or reckless. The angels released at the Euphrates had been “prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year” (Revelation 9:15). God’s timing is precise, His plan deliberate. Even as judgment falls, Jesus remains in control.

For the first-century believers witnessing the rising threat of Jewish oppression of God’s people, this was a reminder that God was answering their prayers in His perfect time. As we face evil in the world today, we too can trust that our prayers are heard. Jesus warned His disciples that persecution would come (Matthew 24:9), yet He promised His ultimate victory.

We are called to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), yet we are also invited to cry out for justice — not out of personal vendetta, but with a longing for God’s righteousness to be revealed. When we pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done” (Matthew 6:10), we are in part asking for God to establish His justice. As we wait, we rest in the confidence that Jesus reigns, and that no evil will stand against His Kingdom. As we warn all nations, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Psalm 2:12).