'Praying Macon's'
secret weapon

Americans awoke over the weekend to the good news that Thomas Hamill had escaped his Iraqi captors. Hamill had been captured by Iraqi gunmen on April 9 and held hostage until his escape three weeks later.

His captors demanded the U.S. withdraw from Fallujah or he would be killed. Hamill was captured in Baghdad, but was being held in Tikrit, about a hundred miles away. Hamill reportedly heard a US convoy passing by and made a successful break for freedom.

Hamill immediately returned to his makeshift prison – with U.S. troops in tow – and took part in the capture of his captors.

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Thomas Hamill hails from Macon, Miss., a little town that got a lot of publicity when news of his escape was released. The whole town had been in constant prayer for the duration of Hamill's captivity. That fascinated the reporters, who, if they mentioned it at all, spoke of it as if it were some quaint superstition.

The whole town of Macon, it seemed, showed up at one time or another in some interview on one of the mainstream news networks during Hamill's captivity. All of them testified to their faith in God and the power of prayer.

Macon's reliance on faith received little mention at all, other than in the context of it being a quaint oddity. I was researching mainstream news via Google using keywords like "Hamill Macon prayer" looking for how they handled the concept of an entire town engaged in a three-week-long prayer vigil.

CNN mentioned the word "pray" once in its story of Hamill's homecoming and then only in a quote from a family member. Newsday's only mention of the word was in a quote from Thomas Hamill himself in which, according to Newsday, Hamill urged Americans to "keep your thoughts and prayers with those who are still" in Iraq.

Quite a contrast to the priority afforded prayer during live broadcast news coverage where they had no choice but to allow the residents of Macon to extol the power of prayer and the diligence of their prayer warriors. It was clearly disappointing to reporters hoping for heart-wrenching tales of hopelessness at their situation and their fury at our government for causing it.

Another thing I noticed in my Google search was how few stories were returned in response to my queries about Mayor Dorothy Baker, the spokesperson for Macon, Miss. She was interviewed a few times about the mood in Macon, but then she sort of dropped off the radar screen when she started droning on and on about prayer, patriotism and faith.

Here's what fascinated me. Macon prayed. God heard. Thomas Hamill was delivered from his captors. More than that, the tables were immediately turned and Hamill's captors were delivered into his hands. Mayor Baker, Thomas Hamill, his family and the people of Macon gave God the glory in every interview. If not, God would have been relegated to the role of some nebulous, impersonal symbol of "hope" instead of the Living, Personal God of Whom all Macon testified.

Some reporters called Hamill's escape "miraculous" even as they found Praying Macon "quaint." But they never connected the dots. They dutifully reported the effect, (Hamill's escape) while mocking the Cause.

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much," James 5:16 tells any who will listen.

A U.S. soldier, Pfc. Keith M. Maupin, was also kidnapped in the same convoy attack as Hamill. Pfc. Maupin's fate remains unknown. We need to connect the dots that completed the picture the mainstream reporters couldn't see.

Our God answers prayer. Please join me in prayer for Pfc. Maupin's delivery from his captors, together with the rest of the hostages still being held.

With God, all things are possible. Even in Iraq.