16 4JSUS
What are the odds of that?
About a year ago, I heard the oddest and saddest story and it happened in my home town. Not only did it happen in my home town but it actually happened just down from my old driveway. Two men from out of town were on their way to a golf tournament in a new SUV. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon on a busy two way road and what happened next is indescribable. In fact, it caused me to say, among many things, “What are the odds of that”.
Without any indication that this was going to happen and as the men crossed in front of my old driveway, a 3 feet in diameter (a big tree) fell across this busy road. At just the right speed, at just the right place in the road and at just the right time the tree fell on that SUV. This very heavy and large tree crushed and killed the passenger immediately while the driver was unhurt. What are the odds of that?
Another story I read recently caused me to question again, “What are the odds of that”. A man in a small Wisconsin city had been in A.A. (Alcohol Anonymous) for about three years and had enjoyed being sober for that period of time. Then, bad luck began to hit him in his business. The firm for which he had worked for some fifteen years was sold; his particular job was phased out of existence; and the plant was moved to another city. For several months, he struggled at odd jobs while looking for a company that needed his specialized experience.
Then another blow hit him. His wife was forced to enter a hospital for a major surgery, and his company insurance expired. At this point he cracked and decided on an all-out sobriety record. So he went to Chicago, checked into a north side hotel, and set forth on his project. It was Friday night, and the bars were filled with swinging crowds. But he was in no mood to swing—he just wanted to get quietly, miserably drunk. Finally, he found a basement bar on a quiet side street, practically deserted. He sat down on a bar stool and ordered a double bourbon on the rocks. The bartender said, “Yes, sir,” and reached for a bottle.
Then the bartender stopped dead in his tracks, took a long, hard look at the customer, leaned over the bar, and said in a low tone, “I was in Milwaukee about four months ago, and one night I attended an open A.A. meeting. You were on the speaking platform, and you gave one of the finest talks I ever heard.” The bartender turned and walked to the other end of the bar. Well, the guy in complete shock walked out of the bar with the desire to drink sapped completely out of him. So here’s the catch: It is estimated that there are about 8,000 bars in Chicago and some 25,000 bartenders. WHAT are the ODDS of that man going into the SAME bar as that bartender?
One more thing. Have you ever wondered why you are on this planet? I mean, why now, why here and why this face? You could blame it on your parents but then you ask yourself, “Why them”? What are the odds of you being born in _______ to Mr. and Mrs. ________ and even being where you are now? To rattle your mind even more, what are the odds of a man being born in a small town of less than a thousand people, to a single teenage mother, being the son of a carpenter and yet being God of the universe too? It gets better because this guy supposedly is the “Savior” of all mankind, was murdered and then was "raised" back to life? To top it off, he supposedly is the only way to a place called heaven and he desires for all of mankind to go if they will trust and follow him. So what are the odds of this GUY being who he says he is? Well, over a span of thousands of years there were hundreds of prophecies (statements that fore-tell the future) made about him, his birth, his death and his resurrecting. Some of these prophecies were in great detail. Such as how he would be born, to whom, how he would die, by whom and for how much. Based on the mathematical analysis of probability, H. Harold Hartzler of the American Scientific Affiliation members has concluded that “the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time, and fulfilled just eight of the prophecies is 1 to the 1017th power.” That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Can you imagine the probability of all the prophecies about this man being calculated? What are the odds of Jesus Christ of Nazareth NOT being who He said he was, who He is and who He will forever be? Probably the same odds of Him NOT loving you! Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for YOU, plans to give you hope and a future, not to harm you”. What are the odds of that?
By Brian Hoover