What if?
What if? This question can cripple us and send us spiralling into anxious thoughts. What if I lose my job? What if Australia gets pulled into a global war? What if? When we’re worried or suffering it can encourage us to hear how other saints have travelled through suffering with Jesus. One such saint is our sister Hannelè, the wife of Dirk Kotze. Dirk was serving as a deacon at Oasis when he was struck by lightning and passed on to be with the Lord in 2023. Below, Hannelè shares how she found strength in Christ and his people during this time. I trust it will encourage your faith.
“During the most difficult time in my life with Dirk’s accident, and after he went to be with God, I found an incredible sense of peace and comfort in God’s presence. In times when my grief was so overwhelming and I struggled to find the words to pray, I was eagerly searching for His promises in the Bible to reassure me that I wasn’t alone, and everything would be okay. Verses like Psalm 56:8, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book”, made me feel like I was curled up in Jesus’s lap. I felt understood and comforted by him, which I desperately needed at the time.
There are so many Scriptures that encouraged me, but another verse that means a lot is John 16:22, “Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.” These promises are an ongoing lifeline that lifts me when the weight of sadness and loneliness wants to pull me down. It provides immense peace and joy to know that Dirk and other loved ones are in heaven and we’re going to see them again, soon.
I am also forever grateful that God is comforting and surrounding Danè and I with fellow Christians providing unwavering support and love. Being able to talk about our faith and hope in Christ is so important and a rich blessing. God’s people became instruments of His compassion in our lives. Their presence provides a tangible sense of His care, reminding us that we are part of a larger family, one that would walk alongside us no matter what.
Through the church, our family, friends, and community, I’ve seen God’s love in action in ways that have truly amazed me and made me stand in awe of Him. God’s faithfulness created an ever-present sense that He is always with me, especially through hardships and suffering. I know that He uses that to draw me closer to Him and refine me into His image. It is so reassuring to know that it doesn’t matter what happens to me here on earth, I trust Him completely to work all things together for my ultimate good, as promised in Romans 8:28, so that my eternal inheritance is established in His presence one day.”
16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)
Grace and peace,
Ben
