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John Allen Muhammad, the leader of the 2002 sniper attacks that
terrorized the Washington D.C. area in 2002, was executed by lethal
injection this past Tuesday. Had he not been captured the killing could
have been a lots worse. According to his young accomplice Muhammad had
planned to kill 6 persons a day for 30 days.
Many people were praying during those days of fear and anguish. Did
those prayers help? Skeptics will likely say “No,” regarding the events
of his capture as mere coincidences. Skeptics in the media especially
have a difficult time recognizing the power of prayer. Many times they
are suspicious that persons who want to talk about religion really just
want to promote their own cause. And in our pluralistic society, they
usually refuse to take a meaningful stand in favor of faith for fear of
offending someone.
But our whole nation can be thankful that one man believed in the power
of prayer. Ron Lantz, 61, is a truck driver who lives just south of
Cincinnati and attends the Covington (Kentucky) Central Church of the
Nazarene. He faithfully takes his five-year old granddaughter to church
each Sunday he is in town and directs the men’s fellowship group.
While driving down I-70 in the eastern United States, Ron got on his CB
radio and invited other truckers to meet for prayer. On October 16,
2002, about 50 truckers met at a rest stop near Baltimore, Maryland, and
prayed for America, for an end to “evil in America” and especially for
the arrest of the snipers who were terrorizing the Washington, D.C.,
area.
Ron believed that God would answer their prayers. He even told some of
the other truckers that he felt God was going to use him to help end the
killings.
About one week later, in the very early hours of October 24, 2002, Ron
heard a description of the snipers’ car on the “Tuckin’ Bozo” program
originating from WLW radio in Cincinnati. Pulling into a rest stop near
Myersville, Maryland, he saw a car that matched the description he had
just heard.
Looking carefully at the license plates, he saw that the numbers matched
those of the killers. He returned to his cab and then called 911.
Using his semi to block the exit ramp, he waited as the police quickly
arrived and arrested John Muhammad and John Malvo. The Washington, D.C.
shooting spree was over.
Was it just a coincidence that Ron Lantz organized a prayer meeting and
later was in the right place at the right time to end a national
nightmare? Those who believe in prayer will say no, it was not a
coincidence. Those who are skeptics will likely call it just another
coincidence of life, or, more likely, they will just ignore the real
story all together.
The problem with being skeptical about the power of God at work in this
world is that it leaves us dependent on our own power and goodness. As
the D.C. shootings illustrate, humans that follow their own laws
sometimes have no regard for the rest of us.
Thanksgiving should be more than a family holiday. When we give thanks
to God, we affirm our belief in Him and express our faith that He
intercedes for us in this world. If He answered the truckers’ prayers,
he can answer ours as well.
Paul Jetter, Upper Valley Community Church |
