Two weeks ago, Ron Lantz was an unassuming and unknown trucker from Kentucky. Like many Americans he was horrified by the activities of the sniper in and around Washington D.C. The apparently random shootings had claimed many victims. For weeks, millions of people had been afraid to go and fill their cars with fuel. Children ran from their parent's cars into schools, crouching low and weaving from side to side. Outside activities like play time or sports were abandoned as the sniper's reign of fear took hold of the population. Like the plot of a Clint Eastwood film from the 1970s, a new and deadly kind of urban terror cast a terrible shadow across Washington and gripped the hearts of the nation.
Ron was deeply concerned. So he and a group of about fifty other truck drivers decided to do something. They had no information to present to the police, no expertise to offer in the hunt for the killer. Their trucks were not the kind of resource that was needed and there was no shortage of long-haul drivers. But there was one thing they could do. So they held a prayer meeting.
The next Friday Ron was driving his truck through Maryland. The radio broadcast a description of the suspects' car, a blue 1990 Chevrolet Caprice. Moments later he spotted a car matching the description parked at a Maryland rest stop. He called the emergency number and within quarter of an hour, swarms of armed police officers with searchlights, cars, vans, and helicopters had arrived. The snipers (it turned out there were two) had been caught. It was about 20 miles from where the prayer meeting had been held. Ron would be eligible for part or all of the $500, 000 reward for providing information leading to the capture of the sniper. He has said he would give it to the survivors and the relatives of the victims.
Sometimes we may feel there is not much we can do about issues that concern us. What can we do to prevent war with Iraq? How can I affect the tide of unbelief in our country? We feel insignificant and powerless. And so most of us are! Except that we aren't. For we have an invitation from Almighty God 'not to be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving to present our requests to God,' (Philippians 4: 6)!
Let's take heart from this story and remember that God is more ready to answer our prayers than we are to pray them! His answers are not always as quick and complete as for Ron and his fellow Christian truckers. But I wonder if it is true of us that 'You do not have because you do not ask God' (James 3:2)?
Speaking of prayer, at the Church Members Meeting in September I highlighted two areas which the elders would like us to give special attention to in our prayers this academic year. The first is the area of staffing. We are looking to call and appoint an Assistant Pastor, to start next summer at the latest. You will see an advertisement in Evangelicals Now and we are following up other avenues such as approaching Christian leaders who know us to ask if there is anyone they know who might be suitable. Please would you pray that we find the right man for this role, which will be Assistant Pastor for the whole church, including preaching, developing our evangelism and leading the student work. The other area we want to ask you to pray about specifically is the youth work; for the leaders, for the youngsters involved, for growth and development and above all for long-term spiritual impact in young lives. There are plenty of other areas to pray about - with thanks! - of course but here are two for your prayer lists and prayer diaries and house group meetings and the like.
We may feel as unassuming and insignificant as Ron Lantz. But God used him (and others) to end the Washington sniper terror. How is God going to use you through your prayers?