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Cadets at the College for Officer Training at Crestmont took part in the 24/7 prayer for social justice. Here are some of their comments.
Joel Boyd (Ambassador of Grace Session)—While I looked at images of starving children and thought about little children trafficked into sexual slavery, I knew my normal prayers just weren’t going to be enough. I needed something more. The problem is so huge and my prayer felt so small. I decided to fast. So what happened? I got hungry, I prayed, but this time something did change. As I prayed, God led me to read Isaiah 58. Verse 3 hit me like a ton of bricks; the rest reduced me to a pile of rubble.
Speaking as the collective voice of Israel, Isaiah says: “Why have we fasted,” they say, “and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?”
Bonita Kelsey (Ambassador of Grace Session)—I tend to get nearsighted with my prayers and, quite often, limit them to my own community. Setting aside time and having a prayer room with tools available—such as a large world map—made me more aware of the need to pray globally.
Dawn Paulson (Friends of Christ Session)—While at Crestmont, it is easy for one’s focus to become sadly parochial, so this was a perfect opportunity to put aside the tedium of life as a student, and instead spend a week specifically focused on intentional prayer for those around the world facing challenges that are difficult for us to even fathom.
Crestmont Personnel Officer Michael Paugh—Everyone agreed that they met Jesus face to face in extraordinary ways as they prayed for others.
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait on him (Isaiah 30:18 NIV).
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