In chapter 41, God pointed Job to another beast He called Leviathan as an example of His power. Leviathan is a word that appears in 5 other Old Testament texts. The name Leviathan comes from a Hebrew word that means twisted or coiled. In all the verses, Leviathan refers to some mighty creature that can easily overwhelm man but is no match for God. Many animals have been suggested, from whales to crocodiles to dinosaurs, but the point God was making remains, no matter which animal you chose to identify it as. God is mightier than the Leviathans in our lives.<\/p>\n
American pastor and theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote what is known as “The Serenity Prayer.” Many only know the first line. However, the entire prayer is necessary and helpful when we find ourselves in Job-like struggles in our own lives:<\/p>\n
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
“LORD, this is our prayer for ourselves today.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n
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Job 41 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1<\/sup>\u00a0Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord\u00a0which\u00a0<\/em>thou lettest down?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft\u00a0words<\/em>unto thee?\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0Wilt thou play with him as\u00a0with\u00a0<\/em>a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not\u00a0one\u00a0<\/em>be cast down even at the sight of him?\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0None\u00a0is so\u00a0<\/em>fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me? 11<\/sup>\u00a0Who hath prevented me, that I should repay\u00a0him? whatsoever is\u00a0<\/em>under the whole heaven is mine.\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0Who can discover the face of his garment?\u00a0or\u00a0<\/em>who can come\u00a0to him<\/em>with his double bridle?\u00a0\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth\u00a0are<\/em>terrible round about.\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0His\u00a0<\/em>scales\u00a0are his\u00a0<\/em>pride, shut up together\u00a0as with\u00a0<\/em>a close seal.\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>like the eyelids of the morning.\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0Out of his mouth go burning lamps,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>sparks of fire leap out.\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as\u00a0out\u00a0<\/em>of a seething pot or caldron.\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.\u00a022<\/sup>\u00a0In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.\u00a0\u00a023<\/sup>\u00a0The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.\u00a0\u00a024<\/sup>\u00a0His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether\u00a0millstone\u00a0<\/em>.\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.\u00a026<\/sup>\u00a0The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.\u00a0\u00a027<\/sup>\u00a0He esteemeth iron as straw,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>brass as rotten wood.\u00a028<\/sup>\u00a0The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.\u00a029<\/sup>\u00a0Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.\u00a030<\/sup>\u00a0Sharp stones\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.\u00a0\u00a031<\/sup>\u00a0He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.\u00a032<\/sup>\u00a0He maketh a path to shine after him;\u00a0one\u00a0<\/em>would think the deep\u00a0to be\u00a0<\/em>hoary.\u00a033<\/sup>\u00a0Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.\u00a0\u00a034<\/sup>\u00a0He beholdeth all high\u00a0things:\u00a0<\/em>he\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>a king over all the children of pride<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In chapter 41, God pointed Job to another beast He called Leviathan as an example of His power. Leviathan is a word that appears in 5 other Old Testament texts. The name Leviathan comes from a Hebrew word that means twisted or coiled. In all the verses, Leviathan refers to some mighty creature that can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7711"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7711"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16484,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7711\/revisions\/16484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}