Yearning for Generational Hope
A Devotional on Psalm 90 (part 5)
“Let your servants see you act!
Show their children your glory!”Psalm 90:16 (translated by Carey Wallace in Psalms of Wonder: Poems from the Book of Psalms)
This petition in the Psalm reminds me of El Camino College. My colleague, Coral Taluban, is the InterVarsity staff at this campus and prays prayers like this one often for the students there.
El Camino College borders several diverse cities, including Compton and Gardena, and 84% of students are students of color. Here is one example of the complex history of this area: In 1942, there were a large amount of Japanese Americans living in this area who were forcibly ripped from their homes into internment camps during World War II.1 African Americans were freed from slavery on paper, but were prohibited in most places from buying and renting houses. In 1948, when racially exclusive housing was declared unconstitutional, many African American families moved into the vacant homes.
In 1965, the Watts Riots occurred in this area, as people protested police brutality. 14,000 members of the national guard came, 34 people died, and there was $40 million of property damage.2 This was followed by the 1992 LA Riots after the acquittal of the police officers who used excessive force against Rodney King. White supremacy and injustice has left its mark on these neighborhoods, and the students who attend El Camino College still feel the effects.
Coral tells me that her students hold incredible amounts of responsibility. Many of them work two or three jobs while being full time students. It’s common for students to be caretakers to several other siblings while their parents work late hours. Finances are tight and they deal with physical illnesses themselves or are taking care of ailing parents. The students have faith in God and say they know God will take care of them, but Coral can see that they are weary and that they feel like it’s all on them to hold things together. Hope looks mostly like survival.
Coral’s call to campus ministry began with the prayers of her mother. Her mom met God when she worked at Cal State Long Beach in the 1980s. She would prayer walk the campus, asking God to send someone to help the students find God. Her mom saw the answer to those prayers when Coral decided to come on staff with InterVarsity at CSULB thirty+ years later. Coral, and her mom, have seen the miracles of God. Coral saw God heal a student’s shoulder. It sparked so much faith in students that they started regular prayer meetings on the rooftop of a parking garage in the middle of the night!
And now Coral’s heart aches for more of God. Like her mom, she is now prayer walking at El Camino College. She prays, Let the children of your servants — in one of the oldest areas of the county, in an area where injustices have trickled down to each generation — let them see you act. Let them see your glory. For, as Coral says, “if they did, it would transform the way they live their lives. They would have hope for more than just survival.”
Questions For Reflection:
How have you experienced or witnessed the generational impact of injustice?
How does your heart yearn with the Psalmist to see more of God’s power and healing for the generations to come? Who are the “children” you are praying for?
If you would like to support Coral’s work in InterVarsity at El Camino College, you can do so here: Support Coral Taluban. (Pictured below: Coral and her mom)
Wikipedia contributors. “Compton, California.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 6 Mar. 2026. Web. 10 Mar. 2026.
Wikipedia contributors. “Watts riots.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 Mar. 2026. Web. 10 Mar. 2026.