Leviathan

Sunday, January 30, 2011 (4:39 a.m.)

Holy God,

Blessed Lord. Good morning. I love You. What would You have me learn this morning?

I LOVE when I ask and You answer!

Leviathan.

Absolutely brand new to me. Never do I remember having heard nor read of Leviathan. Thank You Lord. What an incredibly good God You are. Thank You!

(8:19 a.m.)

Having read some and then slept some more, here I am for more learning of Your power. Your love. Your grace.

Much earlier our Bible had opened to a picture of the prophet Isaiah holding a scroll. In bold print under the caption are these words, “The LORD Can Be Trusted”. I had just asked You what You would have me learn and there I was getting to read of Your perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). Your ‘shalom’.

Thank You Lord. In reading in both The Learning Bible (CEV) and The Life Recovery Bible (TLB) I have sidebars and recovery commentary notes to help me understand more than I would on my own.

The more I read the more I want to know! “Perfect peace: The kind of inner peace that comes from confidence in God’s promise.” Mm God. Teach me more!

“Leviathan (Isaiah 27:1) is the sea monster of chaos God conquered at the time of creation. In the Bible, it often symbolizes evil. Victory over this monster can stand for God’s power over all creation or for defeat of His enemies, especially Egypt.”

Excited to learn more, I turn to the various verses where Leviathan is mentioned. The sidebars and extra articles are where I find myself reading even more. For Genesis 1:21, “giant sea monsters: This refers to Leviathan or Rahab, familiar monsters in Canaanite mythology. Sometimes the opponents of God and God’s people are described as sea monsters. Here the sea monster is important simply as a part of God’s good creation.”

As I turn to the references mentioned in Job (3:8; 41:1, 5, 12) and read the accompanying notes, I find so much more than I ever imagined! But more still is the description of Your power.

It’s YOU who can calm the monsters of our lives! YOU who can be trusted to destroy our enemies and the holds they have on us, whatever they are. YOU “will vanquish these creatures that live in the depths of our life.” Thank You Lord. Thank You for Your power. Your strength. Your love. Have YOUR way with us this day. I love You. Amen.

(416 words ~ 9:16 a.m.)