Record-breaking floods inundated Texas, submerging homes, displacing families, killing at least 100 people and prompting widespread evacuations.Naturaldisastersoften shake our deepestbeliefs. Its only human to cry out and ask why would a loving God allow such unrelenting suffering. Especially when it comes, not through human cruelty and free will, but from the forces of creation itself.But paradoxically, its that same faith that many rely on in the aftermath. Far from being a crutch, faith often becomes a critical lifeline, helping people cope, recover and rebuild.Online, others shift the blame to politics. During the flood, a version of Elon Musks AI chatbotblamedbudget cuts to NOAA for the rising death toll. Some point to Texas energy policies or "Mother Natures revenge."AMERICA IS REDISCOVERING ITS SOUL AND REVIVING THE SACREDThese reactions mirror old religious blame just with new villains. Same fire-and-brimstone tone. Same absence of comfort.It may offer outrage, but it rarely offers comfort. And it certainly doesnt help the displaced rebuild.Science backs this up. A study on survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunamifoundthat "religious faith and practices" and "cultural traditions" significantly aided emotional recovery. In fact, the loss of faith itself waslinkedtoworsened trauma.As the researchers concluded, stripping away that spiritual framework left individuals without a "culturally rooted means of making sense of misfortune" compounding their suffering instead of alleviating it.Ive seen this up close. My brother Asher is a Chabad rabbi on the island of St. Thomas. During Hurricane Irma, heshelteredin a medical building with his kids as 185 mph winds snapped telephone poles and tossed trees like tumbleweed. A metal roof from a nearby resort crashed into their home. By all accounts, it was apocalyptic.CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONThey survived. But much of the islands infrastructure did not. Hespent daysproviding food, generators and spiritual support to the displaced. And over and over, he saw the same thing: faith not just as comfort, but as fuel. A force that allows people to keep going, even when everything else has washed away.This isnt unique. After Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, Dorian, Ida, Ian and now the latest flooding in Texas, faith-based organizations are often the first on the ground. Groups like theUnited Methodist Church, theSouthern Baptist Convention, various Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas, andChabads disaster relieffund dont just pray, they mobilize.USA Today once correctlydescribedthese religious groups as "integral partners in state and federal disaster relief efforts."That doesnt mean you need religion to cope with trauma. Non-religious people find strength in community, love and meaning too. But faith offers a distinct framework a spiritual map thathelpspeople find direction when the terrain has suddenly collapsed. For some,beliefin a higher purpose can be the difference between despair and resilience.As Texans confront this catastrophe, many will draw strength not from outrage or blame, but from faith. We will never understand why but faith givesusthe tools toendureit. Politics points fingers. Faith extends a hand.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BY ELI FEDERMAN