875413_47541979If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?
(Jeremiah 12:5 NIV)

A terrible injustice happened this past weekend. Dave Ginter, the pastor of Bridge International Church, was murdered. He was a friend.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysian police are investigating the death of an [sic] U.S. pastor found at his home with his hands and legs bound and a cellphone charger cable around his neck.

Amiruddin Jamaluddin, a Kuala Lumpur district police chief, says officials believe Rev. David Ginter was murdered but have not identified any suspects or motive.

(Read more: “Malaysian police probe American pastor’s death,” Sunday Life & Times, New Straits Times)

A good friend from the Bridge called me on Saturday evening, the eve of the 13th Malaysian General Election. He said, “We have lost Pastor Ginter”. In my heart I already feared the worst but I had to ask: “Lost him to another church?” The answer came: “No, lost him to the Lord. Pastor Ginter is dead.”

I knew what I had heard but my heart was numbed. I was already anxious enough about the outcome of the elections to be held the next day. The death of Pastor Ginter did not fully register. I was just numb.

Well the 13th Malaysian general elections has come and gone. Like many I had hoped the opposition would win and form the government, not because I am particularly pro opposition but because I am anti racism and anti corruption. I am deeply disappointed. The opposition made some progress but there was to be no change of government. It has also come to light that there were instances of election fraud at some polling centres. I do not have first-hand evidence of this and can’t comment, but many, including some of my friends, believe that it did happen. Many are angry at the injustice that has been perpetrated.

I pray God will bring to light what actually happened. But as for injustice, well, why should we be surprised? Take a number. We live in a fallen world. Where is the justice for the 600 or more who died in the recent collapse of a textile factory complex in Dhaka? And have we so quickly forgotten the bombings at the Boston Marathon? Is there any rage left for the murder of Pastor Ginter?

In the book of Revelation, martyrs who had died for the name of Christ call out to Jesus for justice.

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?’ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been. (Revelation 6:9–11 NIV)

Here were the spirits of those who had suffered horrendous injustice. You can hear the depth of their pain in the volume of their cries. And they were told to wait. In fact they were told that there were others yet to be martyred. And when all the evil that God had allowed to happen, had happened, God will act decisively.

… the emphasis is on divine sovereignty. God knows each one who is to be martyred and will vindicate them all at the proper time, which will come soon. (Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002, 289.)

This exchange gives followers of Christ some pointers as to how we can respond to injustice.

We are to cry to the Lord. We tell the Lord exactly how we feel. We are also to remember that God is completely sovereign over history.

Indeed there are times the sovereign Lord allows evil to happen as part of His overall plan. We are to trust that the Lord will vindicate and put things right in the end. And it will be soon. However we must remember that the heavenly clock does not run like the clocks on earth. That God will intervene soon may be more an indication of the certainty of God’s action than the fact that it will happen quickly by earth time. But God will intervene. And we are called to be patient.

The souls of Revelation 6:9 have already passed from this world. Like Pastor Ginter. But what about us who remain? I believe the Lord also speaks to us through Psalm 37:1–3a (NIV),

Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the Lord and do good …

Trust in the Lord. The Lord is sovereign. He is never asleep at the wheel. In fact the wheels of history are still in spin. And if we truly believe that God is in control, we will reject despair and hatred. We will process our anger and sadness. And we will do good. We will love — even our enemies. We will bless all. We will stand up for what is right. We will not give up. We will trust in the Lord and do good, till His Kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. God help us.