Surviving the Tsunamis (When Grief Hits Out of Nowhere)

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you." --- Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

Sometimes the grief you thought you had "handled" rises like a tsunami.

No warning.

No preparation.

No time to brace yourself.

You're standing in line for coffee... You're folding laundry... You're watching a silly commercial... You're driving the same route you've taken a hundred times...

And suddenly the wave slams into you --- fierce, fast, overwhelming. Without warning, without mercy.

One moment you are functioning, perhaps even smiling. The next, you're fighting tears or gasping for breath. A song on the radio, a familiar cologne, a birthday card display, a voicemail you forgot to delete. And the carefully assembled pieces of your day collapse.

This doesn't mean you're weak. This doesn't mean you're broken. This doesn't mean you're starting over. This doesn't mean your healing was false or shallow.

It means love still lives inside you. It means your heart remembers, even when your mind is occupied elsewhere.

And sometimes, memory cracks open a hidden reservoir you didn't even know was there — a pocket of grief tucked away, waiting for the slightest touch to release it.

These grief tsunamis can feel terrifying.

They can make you doubt your progress in healing. They can make you fear going out, doing normal things, facing triggers you can't predict.

But they are not stronger than the God who holds you. They cannot sweep you away from His grasp. They cannot undo the healing that has already begun. But remember, especially in times of fear, that you are not alone. You can put your trust in God like the psalmist did, "When I am afraid, I will trust in you," (Psalm 56:3, NIV).

You don't have to fight the wave. You don't have to outrun it. You don't have to explain it to those who stare or worry or don't understand. You don't have to fear being swept away. You only have to feel it, accept it, and then let it pass --- breathing, trusting, anchored by the One who commands the seas.

The same God who told the waters, "This far and no farther," holds your breaking heart with equal authority.

No wave is too big for His hands. No tide is too strong for His grip. And no heart is too broken for His healing.

You are not drowning. You are surviving --- one breath, one tear, one prayer at a time.

And survival itself is holy ground.

Breath Prayer:

Lord, when grief surges without warning, hold me steady until the wave passes.

Scripture-Based Prayer:

Lord, thank You that when I pass through deep waters, You are with me (Isaiah 43:2). When grief crashes into me without warning, You remain my refuge and my strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). I don’t have to outrun the sorrow or fear being swept away — You hold me fast.

When my heart feels overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I (Psalm 61:2). You are strong enough to anchor me when I cannot find my footing. You are faithful enough to carry me through even the fiercest waves. I trust You to be my steady place when everything else shifts. In Jesus’ Name, I pray.

Did this reading plan encourage you? It was lifted from the book, "HOPE FOR HEAVY HEARTS: A DEVOTIONAL & PRAYER GUIDE TO HELP YOU GRIEVE, BREATHE AND BELIEVE AGAIN." You can find more of Heather Hair's warmth and healing words by clicking on this link.