A viral photo of a young, black student laying hands on a police officer has captured the power of prayer.
Justine Tucker documented the moving scene after the student, Juan O’Neal, approached her and husband Cameron, a deputy with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
The two were eating dinner on Saturday night at Zaxby’s in DeLand, Fla. when O’Neal approached them, saying he felt “compelled” to talk to them, Justine wrote in a Facebook post along with the images.
O’Neal asked Justine’s permission to pray over her husband. She was immediately touched.
“Tonight is a night that I will never forget,” she wrote to her followers. “After crying my eyes out, we got to have an amazing conversation with this gentleman. He was on fire for god and you could feel his presence in the room.”
The image is especially powerful given the onslaught of negative incidents involving cops and young people. It’s since racked up 44,000 reactions and 21,000 shares along with cries of “amen” and “what an awesome young man.”
“We need much more of this in today’s world,” another comment read. “God bless you, Officer! Many more people have your back than you know!!”
O’Neal’s grandmother, Berta, shared Justine’s post on her own Facebook page and thanked everyone for the “shout-outs to her grandson’s story.”
O’Neal, a football player at Stetson University in DeLand and a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is no stranger to spreading the gospel to others. He frequently expresses his religious views on Instagram and has even created original songs espousing the virtues of Christianity.
