Leviathan, Is That You?

Many of you reading this will be aware that I'm an Australian. I have very little interest in all things political, especially in other parts of the world. But even though I generally avoid major news media and my idea of a good time these days usually involves a book or a podcast, something did reach my ears recently about a spot of bother occurring in the USA.
Okay, so I'm playing. It's all I seem to hear about these days. Racism in the streets, sexism on the socials, party politics everywhere. Wherever I turn these days, people are divided. And then I hear that there are people claiming that there are non-humans among us, silently blending in, whether they be from outer space or from a remnant of escaped giants that fled the Holy Land at the Conquest. It seems that if people aren't divided enough already, we'll make up just about anything to divide us further.

I'd like to take a moment to remind my readers about the Biblical Leviathan.
Leviathan was depicted as a fierce and untameable sea dragon with many heads, the very image of chaos in ancient culture (see Psalm 74). Unpredictable, violent and cunning, the Leviathan could strike at any time. But one thing we often miss is that when chaos strikes, it does so in more than one way, from more than one direction, and with multitudes of servants doing its bidding. Readers of "Answers to Giant Questions" will know that Job's encounter with "the satan" did not come as a straight-up fight - it was a staggering onslaught of chaos and destruction that came from all sides. Whether bands of murderous looters sweeping across the plains, or painful sickness and disease, one thing was for sure: the Leviathan had come upon Job, and with fury.
God had already displayed His mastery over this adversarial sea monster, and probably more than once, in spectacular fashion. But those narratives are buried deep in the subtext of the Primeval History (Genesis 1-11). For Job, it was playing out in real time in the most personal way, and Yahweh seemed at times to be very far away. Perhaps worst of all, Job didn't seem to understand what was going on. He didn't realise that he was the red rag in a cosmic tug-of-war where his loyalty was the prize.

Today we may feel that we are under attack. Whether it is the removal of our voice or the destruction of order, loss of loved ones, or illness in our homes, it is natural to feel overwhelmed, and perhaps distant from God. But a few essential truths can keep us in good hands. Firstly, the character of God can be relied on. He is good, He is merciful and He abounds in grace and love. If we can focus on drawing near to Him, it will reduce the perceived distance between ourselves and God, and hopefully also between ourselves and a hurting world that so needs love right now.
Secondly, what the world needs so badly is to experience the one true God - and the expectation from our Lord and Saviour is that we are the ones to show Him to the world. We don't show by telling so much as by doing. Remember that the sin of Adam was in his actions failing to align with God's instruction! We must represent God in our lives.
Thirdly, we need to have our eyes open. Can't we see that we are being played? The satan is wreaking havoc in our world today, filled with fury and malice. But he doesn't do it by walking around with horns and a cape and poking people with a pitchfork. He does it by dividing us, by silencing us, by infecting us. He stirs us against one another and against the Lord. And it isn't hard to do, because we are all naturally inclined to do it. Let's not blame the devil while we throw stones at others.
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How can we win? The answer is in unity. We need to place our faith in Jesus Christ and our trust in one another as a community of believers. We are one in Christ, no matter what colour, language or nation, no matter what gender or status or age. It's the same message that Paul preached to the Romans (Rom. 12), the Galatians (Gal. 3:28), and the Colossians (Col. 3:11) - we are all one. And we need to stay together. Not just enduring the same problems, but sharing the same hope. While Leviathan attempts to divide and conquer, we must unite as humans. We must bring a common gospel to the world - that Jesus Christ is Lord and that His return is imminent. Let's make sure we're all on His side when He comes. Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." 

- T.J. Steadman.