When Hurricane Florence hit the United States mainland in 2018, our family was living in North Carolina near a coastal area. The storm, which became a Category 4 hurricane while out at sea, was predicted to diminish slightly before making landfall as a Category 3 only 45 miles from our town, which would be in the eye of the storm. Category 3 hurricanes are still major storms, packing winds that cause tremendous damage, including flooding.

As the hurricane approached, there was no order for a mandatory evacuation for our immediate area, and my wife and I prayed for an answer as to whether we should stay in the house with our three children or move farther inland. We were certain that God, divine Mind—intelligence itself—would guide us. 

The answer to my prayers came in the form of a reminder of the Bible story of David and the protection he experienced in his encounter with the giant Philistine warrior, Goliath—a formidable foe, which this storm also represented to me. Before this confrontation, David, as a young shepherd relying on his God, had saved his sheep from a bear and a lion. These foundational experiences prepared him for what may have been the greater challenges that lay ahead, such as Goliath, whom he conquered through the same steadfast reliance on God, divine Love.