Victory in Christ!

Psalm 60:4-12
But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow.  Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.  God has spoken from his sanctuary: 'In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.  Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine: Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.  Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal: over Philistia I shout in triumph."  Who will bring me to the fortified city?  Who will lead me to Edom  Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?  Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.  With God we will gain the victory, and he will tramply down our enemies.

Proverbs 11:14
For lack of guidance a nation falls, but  many advisers make victory sure.

I Corinthians 15: 50-58
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Listen,  I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.  When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."  "Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?"  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Psalm 20
May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.  May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.  May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.  May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.  We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.  May the Lord grant all your requests.  Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.  They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.  O Lord, save the king!  Answer us when we call!

Well, so I guess I was needing some encouragement from the Word about the topic of Victory.  It has been an amazing and difficult roller coaster to live in a different country and try to accomplish tasks we feel God asking us to do.  The cultural differences has been such a challenge.  Living as a family has been a difficult challenge.  Simply finding foods to eat that we are familiar with has been a challenge.  I know without a doubt that Gods' Word promises us Victory but as I have been studying the different passages in the Bible regarding this topic I am beginning to understand that the Victory God talks about is not earthly.  Our Victory is heavenly.  We will receive our reward at the end when Jesus returns.  I am grateful and thankful to God for allowing me to be forgiven and very thankful I know I will spent eternity in heaven. However, that victory which I am to look forward to is so far away.  I have Victory and I know I will receive my Victory in Christ but just like the Jews 2000 years ago, I was hoping for a more concrete and visual Victory I could feel and understand now.  The Jews were so ready for a Messiah.  They had been waiting for Him for a long time.  The Roman Empire was at peace and the stars in the sky were "lined up."  Even the magi from the east could see the signs that He was coming.  The problem was no one was expecting a "still small voice."  Jesus was not what they had hoped for and in fact he was so different from what they were hoping for that they didn't even see Him as  the Messiah.  They accused Him of being a heretic and more.  As I continue through my own life and struggles, I wonder if I am even looking in the right place for help?  I turn to God, that much is true, but am I really looking for God to answer me or am I looking for an answer from God.  The answer I think I am looking for is my answer, not Gods'.  I turn to Him during difficult times, I trust Him to order my life, I even have faith that He is in control and is leading me but when I look to Him for needs in my life, I don't believe I am looking at the same God.  I believe I am looking at a God I have created and not the one of the Bible.  It is such a struggle to keep the God I worship true to the God of the Bible.  Many times I assume God will answer my prayers, my way when in fact, He answers with what is best for me.  It is a difficult process and one that I will probably spend my life learning.  As I study Him more and continue to get to know the God of the Bible I will perhaps begin to see and hear the God I truly worship, the God of the Bible.  How about you?  Do you pray to the God of the Bible or the one you think you know in your head?