'Holy Spirit Began to Speak in Me,' Says Alabama Student Who Gave Spontaneous Graduation Prayer for Woman Suffering Medical Emergency
At the graduation ceremony for Clay-Chalksville High School in Jefferson County, Alabama, last week, departing graduate Christian Crawford led the crowd in prayer while a woman in attendance was experiencing a medical emergency.
The video of Crawford, who had previously opened the graduation ceremony with a prepared prayer, later stepped back up to the podium to deliver a spontaneous prayer for the woman. As of Monday, the video had more than 318,000 views on YouTube.
Crawford said the graduates began to receive their diplomas when they heard calls of "medic, medic, medic" in the audience, he told "Fox & Friends" on Monday.
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"I opened up my mouth and God began to speak through me," he said. "I cannot take any credit for what God is doing through me for His glory."
In the interview with Fox News, Crawford said: "I realized it wasn't just the lady that was healed that night. In my prayer, the Holy Spirit began to speak in me. He said that God is a fixer, that God is a deliverer, He said that God is a redeemer.
"As I sat back down I thought I was finished, but as I was leaving graduation, people were telling me that was a powerful prayer, people were telling me that it blessed them, that their faith was being restored."
Crawford told Channel 42 News in Birmingham that he credits his grandparents, who grew up in Butler, and his entire family for impacting his faith.
"They've given me the desire to change the world and make a difference," Christian asserted. "My granddad, he was very strict. He helped me a lot and he's taught me how to pray, so have my parents taught me how to pray.
"People tell me all the time, 'Oh, you're famous now. You're famous now.' And I'm like, 'No, I'm not famous. God is famous,'" he said. "If God's famous, being exalted because of what I prayed about, then that means I'm doing what I was supposed to do."
Crawford's father Terence spoke to Channel 42 News saying, "I was in awe. At that moment, when you pray and God takes over, you're not aware of what you're doing."
He's using you as that vessel," Terence said. "If you can affect lives or anything of that nature through God's grace, then it shows."
Crawford added that "it is all to God be the glory." The woman who had the medical emergency was having a seizure and is reportedly fine now.
The Trussville Tribune in Alabama is reporting that Crawford has been asked to present the opening prayer at the Alabama Legislature next week by local Rep. Danny Garrett.
Clay-Chalksville High School is a public school in Clay, Alabama. Crawford worships at New Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church in Birmingham and is interested in a career in politics. Crawford is set to attend Auburn University-Montgomery in the fall where he plans to double major in communications and political science.
