Living in Florida, my husband and I have the privilege of praying for safety from destructive weather during the yearly and much-publicized hurricane season. 

The night of September 4, 2004, was a night my husband and I spent in deep prayer, acknowledging God’s protection, as Hurricane Frances headed toward our area. We’d boarded up our windows and stocked up with recommended supplies, but our main preparation was setting aside special times for prayer in the days before the projected landfall. 

We acknowledged God’s great love for the citizens of our community and our state, since all are in reality the spiritual ideas, or children, of God. And we just could not dignify calling the hurricane by its given name because we knew from our spiritual study that God’s government does not include a destructive force that can harm His creation. 

The spiritual description that is part of the definition of wind on page 597 in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy helped us: “That which indicates the might of omnipotence and the movements of God’s spiritual government, encompassing all things.”

We read and studied many stories in the Bible, among them the story of Christ Jesus calming the wind and waves by knowing God’s great control and saying with authority, “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39). We also studied many passages regarding peace, protection, and other applicable terms in Mary Baker Eddy’s writings, which gave us strength and courage to face down the concept of a furious storm. 

This passage in Science and Health on page 192 was particularly helpful: “Erring power is a material belief, a blind miscalled force, the offspring of will and not of wisdom, of the mortal mind and not of the immortal. It is the headlong cataract, the devouring flame, the tempest’s breath. It is lightning and hurricane, all that is selfish, wicked, dishonest, and impure.” It continues, “Moral and spiritual might belong to Spirit, who holds the ‘wind in His fists;’ and this teaching accords with Science and harmony.”

It was necessary for me to speak with authority and a firm conviction that God governed the atmosphere with harmony and love, and that we really were dwelling in the kingdom of heaven.

During the whole night that the hurricane was to arrive, we alternated with prayerful watches and rest periods, taking turns, with occasional checks on the TV weather radar. We were prepared and inspired to stay in our house to pray for our neighborhood and city. 

Our immediate neighbors, except one other family, had evacuated to shelters, and even to other cities and nearby states. As the storms approached, the winds and rain increased. We were led to remember God’s promises in Psalm 91, especially this verse: “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling” (verse 10).

I had a 3:00 a.m. “prayer shift,” and when I turned on the news, I learned there was a series of embedded tornadoes in the rain band moving over the Kennedy Space Center. The weather radar showed these tornadoes were heading over a nearby river and toward our town. I reached out in deep prayer for God’s further guidance. 

The wind was increasing in strength even more, and I began to hear an ominous rumbling sound. I stepped out onto the back screen porch, which my husband had enclosed with protective tarps. I remembered hearing once from a Christian Science practitioner that we can speak directly to and rebuke a lie that God is not in control, just as Jesus had done. So I yelled out, as loud as I could, the powerful command of Jesus, “Peace, be still,” as well as other rebukes of his, and I followed them with truths about spiritual perfection. 

It was necessary for me to speak with authority and a firm conviction that God governed the atmosphere with harmony and love, and that we really were dwelling in the kingdom of heaven. The loud roaring noise soon stopped, and I went back into the house. The heavy rain still continued outside, but I had a greater sense of peace and protection. 

We had another demonstration of protection at sunrise, when my husband and I detected that the wind was blowing embers from a burning power pole over several houses, and we then were able to call the fire department for help. 

After the storm was over, while inspecting our yard and house, we found only minor damage to our property. Later in the morning, after we surveyed the neighborhood, it looked as if straight-line winds or a small tornado had come between the houses on our block, which could have been the loud wind noise that I had heard during the night. But there was only minimal damage in the neighborhood.

We were so grateful that we did not suffer from fear or panic during this challenging event. This demonstration has helped us in meeting the challenges of other hurricanes and storms since. A special angel thought that came to me, and became a source of strength during the approaching hurricane season last year, was to declare that I will not be terrorized! I have kept hold of this message ever since. 

I am so grateful that Christ Jesus taught his followers, and Mary Baker Eddy has also taught us, to strongly rebuke the belief that our true environment can be dangerous and destructive. Our family is so grateful that an understanding of Divine Science, the promised Comforter, protects us in all seasons!