In a world teaching students to turn first to technology for answers and comfort, Hillcrest students practiced turning first to their Creator in the annual Prayer Day. While technology promises immediate answers and relief from uncertainty, Scripture reveals a deeper truth: suffering produces perseverance, perseverance builds character, and character produces hope. That hope, rooted in God's love and promises, grows as students turn to Scripture and prayer. During Hillcrest's Fall Prayer Day, students stepped away from the constant pursuit of instant answers to practice something far more enduring: seeking the Lord.
On Wednesday, October 28, Hillcrest's ninth through twelfth graders stepped away from their regular academic schedules for Fall Prayer Day, dedicating time to something increasingly countercultural: slowing down, looking beyond themselves, and bringing their concerns before the Lord. Missionary Nathanael Szobody, serving with Lutheran Brethren International Mission in Chad, led students in exploring prayer through the Lord's Prayer. Students considered why prayer matters and what it means to depend on God in a world that increasingly encourages self-reliance.
The Lord's Prayer offers a remarkably different starting point from the one students encounter regularly. Instead of starting with personal achievement and desires, Jesus teaches His followers to begin with two words: "Our Father." Those words establish the foundation for everything that follows, from daily bread to forgiveness to deliverance from evil, Jesus taught the early leaders of the church to turn to the One who hears them.
Throughout the day, that understanding moved from instruction into practice. Students prayed for classmates and friends. They lifted up pastors, missionaries, and the needs of their country. Their prayers extended across the world to people facing hunger and poverty. Students learned to recognize the needs of others, respond with compassion, and trust their concerns to a God whose care extends far beyond their own circumstances.
Between the prayer times, worship filled the auditorium. Hillcrest President Luke Fiskness described the day as a powerful experience, with students coming together in prayer as the Holy Spirit moved.
While the high school spent the day in prayer, Hillcrest's middle school spent the day at Inspiration Point, strengthening friendships, practicing life skills, and developing relationships outside the classroom.