83 | How to Heal After Tragedy: Biblical Encouragement & Journaling Prompts

Find the full episode here: PaulaBehrens.com/blog

The ground beneath our faith often shakes most violently when disaster strikes without warning. After the devastating Guadalupe River flood that swept through Texas on July 4th, many of us are left grappling with profound questions about God's presence in tragedy. As someone whose own grandchildren survived this catastrophe while others lost their lives, I understand firsthand the complex emotions that surge when natural disasters upend our sense of safety and order.

Where exactly is God when floodwaters rise? This episode tackles the age-old questions that emerge from suffering—questions that even Biblical figures like Job wrestled with. We examine Jesus's direct teachings about tragedy and whether disasters represent divine punishment (they don't). Rather than offering hollow platitudes, we explore the tangible ways God manifests during crisis: through the hands of rescuers, the voices of counselors calming terrified children, and the sacrificial love of those who risked everything to save others.

Drawing from scripture, personal experience, and pastoral wisdom, we discover how to hold grief in one hand and faith in the other. I share practical journal prompts to help process tragedy, Christian boundaries to protect your healing journey, and an invitation to find community where you can show up exactly as you are—questions, doubts, and all. Whether you're personally affected by recent disasters or simply seeking to understand God's presence in a broken world, this episode offers both comfort and clarity for the journey ahead. Ready to transform your relationship with grief without abandoning your faith? Join me as we navigate these waters together.

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Episode Transcript

Rev Paula Behrens (00:01):
Where is God when the floodwaters rise, when
the news breaks our hearts andthe why has no easy answer?
Tragedy is a way of shaking theground beneath our faith.
Yet even in the rubble, God'speace is not lost.
In today's episode we'llexplore how to navigate grief
without losing hope, how to findGod's presence in life's

(00:23):
darkest moments, and howbiblical encouragement and
Christian boundaries can help usprocess pain in healthy, holy
ways.
I'll also share journal promptsto help you reflect deeply and
offer a sacred invitation into afaith community where healing
begins not with answers but withpresence.

(00:44):
On a lighter note, when I firstbegan my seminary work while
serving two church congregationsfull-time, everyone assumed I
had my daily devotional timeperfectly organized.
But, truth be told, there weremornings I could barely find
five minutes to catch my breath,let alone dive into deep
reflection.
One day, as I rushed out thedoor with mismatched shoes, I

(01:06):
realized that even in my chaosthere was a lesson.
Embracing God's grace andself-forgiveness, I came to
realize that true success in mydevotional life comes from
prioritizing my spiritualpractices, even amid life's
hectic pace.
Are you finding it challengingto maintain your spiritual
practices or yearning for a morepeaceful, God-aligned ?

(01:28):
.
I'm Paula and I've been theretoo.
Balancing spiritual habits witha busy life can be difficult.
I longed long for a deeperconnection with God, but
struggled struggle withconsistency.
Then I found the perfectapproach.
If you seek simple ways todeepen your connection with God,
this podcast is for you.
Hey friend, I know what it'slike to feel far from God, even

(01:52):
when you're doing all the rightthings.
You're showing up, you'repraying, you're reading the
Bible, but inside somethingfeels disconnected.
You wonder if you're doingenough, if God is even listening
.
You feel a little ashamed thatyour quiet time isn't what it
used to be or what you hoped itwould be.
Well, I want you to know you'renot alone and you're not

(02:13):
failing.
God isn't asking you forperfection, he's just asking for
your presence.
That's what the Aroma of ChristCoaching Hour is all about, no
pressure, no performance, justpresence.
Let me walk with you into aslower spirit-led devotional
routine that will help youreconnect with the One who's
been waiting to refresh yoursoul all along.

(02:36):
Now's the time to say yes topeace, to say yes to presence.
Book your Aroma of ChristCoaching Hour at paulabehrens.
com/ coaching.
That's Paula BehrensB-E-H-R-E-N-S .
com/ coaching (no spaces).
All right, it's time to getstarted.

(02:56):
Grab your Bible, dust off yourjournal and c ozy up to your
favorite beverage and let's divein.
Where do we turn when lifebreaks wide open with grief and
confusion?
In moments of deep sorrow, whenthe unexpected shatters our
routines and hope feels out ofreach, it's natural to search

(03:16):
for meaning.
We wrestle with questions noone seems able to answer, and
ache for peace only God can give.
Today, we step into that sacredspace together, holding grief
in one hand and faith in theother.
Once in a lifetime, somethinghappens that changes the course
of human history, but in recentyears, it feels like we've lived

(03:40):
through more than a lifetime.
From the tragic attacks onSeptember 11, 2001, to tsunamis,
devastating hurricanes and,most recently, the catastrophic
Guadalupe River flood in Texas,our hearts have carried more
sorrow than we ever imaginedpossible.
These events ripple throughtime, altering not just

(04:02):
landscapes but the very fabricof our lives.
Let's remember the aftermath of9-11.
Our nation's capital andfinancial center were attacked.
Over 3,000 lives were lost, theManhattan skyline was forever
changed, the world economy wasshaken, an invisible war began,

(04:24):
one we're still fighting in manyforms.
Now consider more recentdisasters.
Entire cities were devastatedby hurricanes, magnificent
forests have been consumed byfire, tens of thousands of homes
were swallowed by wind, waterand flames.
Families were displaced, livesdisrupted and hope challenged.

(04:45):
And now the floodwaters of July4th have added a fresh wound to
our collective grief.
I know the pain of that floodpersonally.
My twin grandchildren, my heart, both survived that storm.
What should have been a time offriendship and fun turned into
hours of fear, chaos and waiting.

(05:06):
I did receive the news that mygrand twins, along with their
two cousins, were rescued, yetmany did not.
Children were lost, counselorsswept away, a camp director's
life taken while trying torescue just one more little
child.
Families, broken dreams endedtoo soon.

(05:26):
And so we come to God today withlots of questions.
We come with one of the deepest, heart-wrenching question, and
that is, Why?
In moments like these, whenfloodwaters rise, buildings fall
and lives are taken, we searchfor understanding.

(05:47):
We try to fit tragedy intotheology and we ask why do
innocent people suffer?
Why does nature destroy insteadof nurture?
Where was God when the floodcame through the Hill Country?
These are not new questions.
Job asked them, the Psalmscried them out.
Even Jesus, while on the cross,said, My God, my God, why have

(06:11):
you forsaken me?
And when it comes to questions,the book of Job alone contains
more than 330 of them, far morethan Genesis, Matthew or even
the Psalms.
Why?
Because it was written in theashes of unimaginable suffering.
Job was a righteous man, yet helost it all, his wealth, his

(06:33):
livestock, his servants and hisbeloved children, all in a
single day.
And though he mourned bitterly,he did not curse God.
Instead, he worshiped, saying,Blessed be the name of the Lord.
In our own time, we too aremourning not just possessions
lost in a storm, but preciouslives, many of them young and

(06:55):
full of promise.
The Guadalupe River surged inthe early morning hours of July
4th, catching camps and cabinsoff guard.
Some ask was this God'spunishment?
Now, that's not a new questioneither.
In Luke 13, people brought uptwo recent tragedies to Jesus,

(07:16):
first the Galileans slaughteredby Pilate in the temple, then
the 18 killed when the tower ofSiloam collapsed.
In both cases, Jesus said, Doyou think they were worse
sinners than others?
And then added, I tell you, no.
Jesus made it perfectly clearthat they were not being
punished.

(07:36):
The people in those biblicaltragedies were not to blame, and
neither were the counselors andstaff at the children's camps
on that fateful day.
Neither were those who losttheir lives trying to save the
children, neither were theparents who kissed their
children goodbye that week inJuly, neither were the many
others who perished in the wakeof the devastating flood.

(07:58):
This was not God's wrath.
It was a result of a fallencreation, not a fallen God.
So if we can't blame God, whocan we blame?
Well, the brokenness of thisworld, the creation still
groaning in travail since theGarden of Eden.
But we cannot and we must notblame the one who came to redeem

(08:21):
it.
Where was God during theGuadalupe Flood?
He was in the hands of therescuers reaching into the water
.
He was in the voice of thecounselors, calming terrified
campers.
He was in the strength of everycamp leader, firefighter, first
responder, camp director andneighbor who risked their lives
to save another.

(08:42):
He was in the courage of thebrave parents whose houses and
family members were swept away,yet they continued to find hope
and resilience amidst thetragedy.
And he is here now, in theaftermath, mourning with us,
comforting the broken, holdingthe hands of the grieving.
Let's pause here for a moment ofreflection.

(09:03):
If you're journaling along withthis episode, here are two
journal prompts to help processyour grief and ground your heart
in God's Truth.
Ask yourself, Where have I seenGod's presence in the midst of
tragedy, either through people,provision, or quiet peace?

(09:24):
Take a few moments to answerthat question.
Then ask, What am I afraid toask God right now, and how might

(09:58):
I surrender those questions atHis feet?

(10:24):
Job's strength didn't come fromunderstanding tragedy.
It came from trusting God inthe midst of it all.
Job's prayer was this he said,I know that my Redeemer lives
and that in the end he willstand upon the earth.
I myself will see him with myown eyes.

(10:49):
That's our hope too.
We don't place our faith incircumstances.
We place our faith in aRedeemer who lives, One who
walked through suffering himself, One who knows grief firsthand.
As Christians, we hold to whatis eternal, even when all that
is temporary falls away.
Jesus said, "I am theresurrection and the life.

(11:10):
He who believes in me will liveeven though he dies.
" He also said, "In my father'shouse are many dwelling places.
I go to prepare a place for you.
" And in John, chapter 10,verses 27 through 28, we hear

his promise (11:26):
"My sheep listen to my voice.
I give them eternal life andthey shall never perish.
No one can snatch them out ofmy hand.
" N ot the wind, not the rain,not the floodwaters, not even
death.
As we grieve, we must alsoprotect the sacred space of

(11:47):
healing.
Let me gently remind you tohonor your emotional limits and
your spiritual needs.
Here are three Christianboundaries that can help you in
this time of restoration.

One (11:59):
Limit your exposure when it comes to triggering media or
conversations that are hatefulor divisive.
God's peace is cultivated inquiet places.

Two (12:02):
Give yourself permission to say no to expectations or
events that feel overwhelmingand say yes to moments with God.

Three (12:22):
Set aside time daily for silence, scripture and
stillness as a boundary againstchaos.
So what do we do now?
We mourn, as Job mourned, weremember as Job remembered, we
rebuild with compassion andresolve and, most importantly,

(12:43):
we trust in the grace of God,because his grace is what
carries us through.
God's grace overcame the cross,it overcame the tomb and it
will overcome the naturaldisasters of a broken world.
So let us cling to the eternal,let us offer comfort to the
grieving, let us live not infear but in faith.

(13:03):
Let us remember that ourRedeemer lives and that our hope
of salvation stands even whenthe waters rise.
If today's message stirredsomething deep within you, grief
, anxiety, fear, or even justthe longing to draw nearer to
God, I want to extend a personalinvitation.
I'm offering you an Aroma ofChrist Coaching Hour with a deep

(13:27):
discount through the end ofthis month or until all of the
open slots are filled.
And as a special bonus, I'mincluding a guided Peace RESET
as well.
You'll get both at a 75%discount.
This is more than just an offer.
This is a ministry.
Using gentle, faith-basedaromatherapy techniques, we'll

(13:48):
work together, releasing some ofthat stress and anxiety so you
can breathe again, emotionallyand spiritually, and so your
heart will be in a better place,better prepared for God's
healing touch.
Then we will build apersonalized devotional rhythm
that draws you closer to God dayby day.
There's no pressure, noexpectation, just sacred space,

(14:12):
led by the Holy Spirit, whereyou can show up as you are.
You don't have to walk throughthis alone.
To claim your session, simplyvisit paulabehrens.
com/ coaching.
That's Paula BehrensB-E-H-R-E-N-S .
com/ coaching (no spaces).
If you have questions or justneed a little clarification,

(14:35):
feel free to send me a messagethrough the Video- Ask that will
pop up on the same page.
I'm here and I'm holding spacefor you.
Blessings, friend.
Thank you for tuning in today.
If this episode has touchedyour heart, we would truly
appreciate it if you would takejust a few moments to follow the
show and leave a review.

(14:56):
I look forward to connectingwith you soon.
Join us next time as wecontinue to discover how to live
on purpose in Christ.
Until then, keep leaning intohim and walking in his wisdom.
See you next time.