SENTINEL WATCH March 3, 2003 Issue

Prayer: the best preemptive strike

By Ryder Stevens

AS I watch world events unfold, I see two possibilities. I can be thoroughly disgusted with the human race, or be a steadfast healer of the situation. I believe the second is the choice we all must make.

It's all too easy to get sucked into panic, terror, and confusion when we hear phrases such as "chemical warfare," "weapons of mass destruction," "reprisal attacks," and "body counts."

Instead, I tend to head to the sanctuary of prayer. This has always been my way of preparing for combat during my 22-plus years of military service as a US Army chaplain.

About the author

Chaplain (COL.) Rees Ryder Stevens saw combat in Grenada in 1983, in Panama in 1989, and in unconventional combat operations in 1988 and 1990. He was the rear detachment chaplain for all the families of the 82nd Airborne Division during Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

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