Preparing for Storms-Part 2

Batten Down the Hatches!

“Batten down the hatches!” Do we even know what that means? According to the grammar website Grammar Monster (https://www.grammar-monster.com/sayings_proverbs/batten_ down_the_hatches.htm), the following shows different and correct usages for this phrase. Click to read more.

Examples of Use:

• The storm was approaching, so they had to batten down the hatches and secure everything before it hit.
• With the hurricane warning, the residents were advised to batten down the hatches and prepare for the worst.
• As the deadline approached, the team had to batten down the hatches and work tirelessly to complete the project.
• Before leaving for their vacation, they made sure to batten down the hatches at home, ensuring everything was secure and safe.
• With the pandemic spreading, it was essential to batten down the hatches and take necessary precautions to protect oneself and others.

Have you ever used the term? Did any of those examples of correct usage strike a chord with you? I must admit, I’m not nautical, so even though I have used the phrase in slang, and I know that there is some sort of maritime meaning, I didn’t give it another thought.

But today, writing this post, I am thinking that maybe there is even another usage or meaning for the phrase.

In looking at the first usage, I think that a storm of a different sort is approaching. I looked up the word “storm” in the NLT version of the Bible. Isaiah has several verses dealing with that word. I’ll just discuss one of them. In Isaiah 32:2, we read, “Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a parched land.” This is a prophetic verse from the time that a “righteous king” is coming to rule and reign. It’s a prophetic verse alluding to the last days of the old earth before the millennial reign of Christ. During that time, each person will be like a shelter. This is something to aspire to now, isn’t it?

Becoming a shelter for someone else. Being someone others can find protection with. So, you be the ship where the sailor doesn’t have to say “batten down the hatches” — because there is protection in you, and your protection is in Christ. In what way can YOU become a shelter for someone in need? Leave a comment and let me know.