Washington Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

By Doug Bing, Washington Conference president

400 to 1. Not great odds, is it?

There are so many in the world who like to play the odds. Oddsmakers will let a gambler place bets on almost anything. I have read about oddsmakers taking bets on what royal parents will name their children. There are odds for different games, horses, and car races.

In Kansas, the town next to the one I grew up in is the home of the Greyhound Hall of Fame. There are people around that area who raise greyhound dogs for racing, and people place bets on which dog will win. Believe me when I tell you that the odds of winning the lottery are much worse than that.

Let’s talk about that 400 to 1 ratio.

There is a story in the Bible of a king who wanted to go to war. He formed alliances to strengthen his army. He made an alliance with another king who wanted more than just a strong army. He wanted a word from God. So, the first king called together 400 prophets to see what they had to say. All 400 of them came back and said, "Go to battle and you will win." The second king wanted more. He specifically asked for a prophet of the one true God and wanted a word from him.

Ahab, who was the first king, knew there was a prophet of God, Macahiah, but didn’t want to talk to him. Ahab hated him. Every time Ahab spoke to Macahiah, the prophesies were not what Ahab wanted to hear. Jehoshaphat, the second king, prevailed and the one prophet of God was called, and the news was not what Ahab wanted to hear.

Think for a moment about that one prophet.

400 others had gone before him to stand before the kings and tell them wonderful news about victory. Now he is standing there, the single voice that gave a different message. The peer pressure may have been strong to just go along. Yet he was faithful with the message God had given him.

Despite his warning, the kings went to battle, and Ahab was killed.

God still calls us to be faithful and go against the odds. There are many anti-Christian voices in our world today. Many voices tell the world a message that goes directly against the message of a creator God who loves them. Many voices tell the world that you don’t need God and don’t need to commit to Him.

Yet God calls us to go against the odds and faithfully tell the news of a risen and returning God who calls us all to follow Him.

The Washington Conference has millions of people living in our territory. We as a church are small in comparison. The odds seem against us. Yet God is calling us to be a faithful, loving, and truth telling witness. God is calling us to pray daily for the Holy Spirit’s power and courage to speak the words of love and truth to those we come in contact with. Let us pray together and not worry about the odds. Let us tell others about Jesus.

PS: Be the first person to read this far and call 253.681.6008 ext. 76232 to receive a free book on the power of prayer. Prayer can help you go against the odds.