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Donna Sue and I have a house in the Panama City Beach area of Florida’s Gulf Coast and, although I have responsibilities in Southwest Georgia, I enjoy visiting there. I went down on Monday to enjoy a few days and nights.

            I had kept an eye on this Invest 97L for a few days. I’m no meteorologist and have never played one on television, nor have I recently stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. At the same time, I remember the name Michael and understand that “discretion is the better part of valor.” In other words, pay attention!

            The most famous poet and playwright in the English language, William Shakespeare, had written that line in his play Henry IV, Part 1. The actual quote is “The better part of valor is discretion.” The quote is quite common and means that our life’s decisions should be carefully made with a big dose of discernment.

            An Invest is the meteorological term for a broad area of low pressure that contains all the ingredients of growing into a tropical depression. Add the right, warm temperatures of water and wind into the mix and the result can possibly be a hurricane.

            Invest 97L soon received a name, Helene, and an expected entrance into the Gulf of Mexico and, when all is said and done, Hurricane Helene is to be expected. Of course, all meteorological pronouncements are just speculation, but the Panama City Beach area of Florida’s Gulf Coast was battening down the hatches as of Monday.

            We’ve heard that naval term before. It begins with covering all threatened openings with canvas and securing the canvas with strips of wood called battens. With discretion being the better part of valor, the houses and businesses along the Gulf Coast were battening down the hatches.

            Only God is sure about the direction of weather challenges and it is to Him that Donna Sue and I prayed as we went to bed Monday night. It’s a tough prayer. Why? Naturally, we prayed for the safety of our lives and the least damage to property we may own. That’s an appropriate prayer.

             Then, I thought that, if Hurricane Helene doesn’t harm us, personally, it’s going to land somewhere and harm will come to others. I don’t want anyone to be adversely affected by the storm, but the wind and the weather is going to come ashore somewhere.

            There are precedents for the wind and weather to, simply, stop. There’s a great hymn in the renowned Methodist Cokesbury Hymnal, a wonderful songbook with which I grew up. The title is Master, the Tempest is Raging. It recounts Jesus and His disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee when a violent storm arises quickly.

            Jesus is tired and resting, even sleeping, in the back of the boat. The disciples are afraid that they are about to die in this storm. They awaken the Master and ask, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to drown?”

            The amazing Creator of the earth awoke and ordered the wind and waves to “be quiet!” The storm simply stopped with His words of rebuke. Another title for the song has the command to the elements, “Peace! Be Still!” The disciples were chastened by Jesus as He asked, “Why were you afraid? Don’t you have faith?”

            Hurricane Helene is going to “make” land somewhere, if the Lord doesn’t order the winds and waves to be still. I am praying that we will be ready and remain safe. I am reminded of another song from 1970 that encouraged us to “Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the waters.” But, batten down those hatches if you can.