Isaiah 26:4
Yes, trust in the LORD forever, for He our God is a mighty Rock for ever!
Actually, this is a term that we as Christians should not attach any importance to. The term "stroke of fate" implies that an unknown and uncontrolled force strikes us completely unprepared and upsets our life so far. But if it isn't fate that struck, then what happened to us? Some Christians like to claim that the unforeseen is always related to sin, which is still part of our lives. And so this stroke of fate is the consequence of the committed sin or sins. A punishment from God, so to speak.
I personally believe that God does not punish us for sins committed by us. But everything has its consequences. I believe that God allows things, and these things always shape our lives in a special way. When we are in the middle of such a situation, it just hurts at first and we don't yet see the meaning that is hidden in it. After a certain time, however, and in retrospect, we recognize the positive that emerged from the initially negative situation.
For you, the reader of this blog, the question naturally arises as to why I am writing about strokes of fate. Well, up until four months ago my life seemed fine. I was healthy and not really worried. But then all of a sudden I got knee pain. At first lightly and only on the right side, but after a short time my left knee started to hurt too. This pain grew steadily and after a few weeks the pain was so severe that I could no longer walk. The medical investigations revealed bilateral severe knee arthrosis with inflamed knee joints. I spent the summer holidays at home, in a sort of self-imposed house arrest. I'm back to work now, but every step hurts me. The MRIs were evaluated on Friday and it is now clear that I am about to have 2 operations in which I will have an artificial knee joint. And as if that wasn't enough, my wife informed me 4 weeks ago that she wanted to separate from me and moved out of the shared apartment. Strokes of fate shake us to our very foundations and challenge our faith. They are destructive at first but always have the potential for something new.
Even in this situation, I still have enough trust in God that everything will be fine again. I am aware that this best does not necessarily mean the return of my wife and the full recovery of my knees. But the knowledge that God loves me and means well with me is still strong in me. Although the situation seems muddled and lost, I feel a deep peace within me. It would be far worse to lose faith in God, because then I would lose the basis on which I am trying to live.
I think of Job, he lost everything. His reputation and his family and then even his (apparent) friends. Yet through all the suffering he endured, his faith remained strong. To get back everything he had lost in the end multiple times.
Isaiah 26:4
Yes, trust in the LORD forever, for He our God is a mighty Rock for ever!
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