By Mary T. Hoffman
How long, O Lord, how long
Must the weak be crushed by the strong,
The right be trumped by the wrong?
Please come and change this earth,
Replace the tears with mirth,
And bring your true rebirth.
This poem was inspired by the words “How long, O Lord” that appear in
Revelation 6:
9. And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the
souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and
because of the testimony which they had maintained;
10. and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O
Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our
blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
New American Standard Bible
After writing my poem, I found the words “How long, O Lord” in three
Psalms and in Habakkuk in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), as well. The
one that I think fits in with what I was attempting to express is
Habakkuk 1:2-4:
2. How long, O LORD, will I call for help,
And Thou wilt not hear?
I cry out to Thee, "Violence!"
Yet Thou dost not save.
3. Why dost Thou make me see iniquity,
And cause me to look on wickedness?
Yes, destruction and violence are before me;
Strife exists and contention arises.
4. Therefore, the law is ignored
And justice is never upheld.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
Therefore, justice comes out perverted.
New American Standard Bible
In some ways, things haven’t changed very much, have they? There
seems to be no end to the violence against humans, animals, and the
environment. How long, O Lord, must this go on?
And isn’t it interesting that the souls of martyrs in Heaven
(according to Revelation 6:10, cited above) ask to be avenged? I would
think that surely they, of all people, would follow Jesus’ teaching on
forgiving one’s enemies. Are animals the only ones who follow the Lord’s
admonition against vindictiveness? Just think about animal companions,
and how so many of them love unconditionally.
See readers comments:
Blog - Joyful Curmudgeon
