Coincidence by Design

By Joseph Williams

Blessings happen everyday but people far too often chalk them up as "luck" or "mere chance," never giving them a second thought. And in the dying words of the wife of Phineas, "Where's the glory?" (1 Samuel 4:21) This book aims to change all that with the introduction of CBD's.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CrossLink Publishing
• Release date: Dec 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386988861

Book preview

Prologue

It was the evening of January 8, 2012, and I was home with my eyes glued to the television just like millions of other viewers in the football world. On the TV was the AFC Wildcard game featuring Big Ben of the Pittsburgh Steelers against the electrifying and highly controversial Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos.

Tebow had made a splash in the media world after professing his thankfulness to Jesus Christ during a postgame interview, spurring much criticism about the candidness of his faith. I, for one, admired Tebow for using his platform to minister to others; a practice traced to his collegiate days as a quarterback. There, he spread the gospel by cleverly accenting his eye black strips with scripture verses. John 3:16 was one that he often favored.

I wasn’t the only one rooting for the guy. Tebow-fever had spread all over. In fact, social media was plastered with people from all walks of life taking a knee, head bowed, forehead on fist, otherwise known as Tebowing.

The game was a real shoot-out, ultimately spilling into overtime, and no one could have guessed what happened next.

It was the beginning of overtime, and the Broncos had the ball on their opponent’s 20-yard line. At the helm was a cool and collected Tim Tebow.

By this time, I was on my feet pacing back and forth!

Tebow hiked the ball. The call . . . a 10-yard slant to number 88! After a few quick moves from the receiver, he was off. I cheered and screamed in typical football fashion as he sprinted down the sideline until he finally relented in the back of the end zone.

The Tebow sensation had struck again, having thrown a laser pass that resulted in the game-winning touchdown!

And what did he do after his 10-yard strike that won the game? He took a knee and thanked God!

After watching several angles of the game-winning drive, the stats sheet from the game popped up on the screen, leaving me even more amazed. It wasn’t Tebow’s record-setting day that grabbed my attention; it was the actual numbers on the screen that I couldn’t ignore. The sequence 316 was laden throughout the game stats, producing an uncanny resemblance to John 3:16!

Tebow threw for a total of 316 yards, averaging a record 31.6 yards per completion . . . a new league record! But 316 wasn’t just limited to Tebow’s side of the ball. The Steelers time of possession was 31:06 minutes, and a key turnover happened on 3rd and 16 when Big Ben threw an interception. The ratings for the broadcast also happened to be 31.6.

And I wasn’t the only one to have noticed 3:16 that night. The following day, I distinctly remember opening my web browser and seeing the number one trending topic on Yahoo being John 3:16.

The most ironic thing of all is that Tebow’s victory happened three years to the day he won his 2009 FBS Championship with Florida. After his FBS win, he hoisted the game trophy above his head while sporting a particular Bible verse on his face: none other than John 3:16! After looking at the stats from the 2012 Wildcard game, one might be inclined to question what exactly happened that night. Some may argue that it was a miracle, whereas others would argue the stats were merely a coincidence. Although both perspectives could be heavily debated, experience has taught me to dub this phenomenon a coincidence by design (CBD).

The term coincidence by design addresses the natural inclination to want to call these occurrences coincidences, without taking away from their purpose—to display God’s glory!

History has taught me that CBDs can come in many forms, including but not limited to: warnings, blessings, needs, confirmations, answered prayers, signs, and yes, even miracles. Although they are diverse, anyone who has ever experienced one would agree that they are humbling in their complexity and will leave you with one conclusion . . . only God!

This book is divided into four parts: From the Beginning, Coincidence by Design, My Journal, and A Call for Rain. As you read this book, my hope and prayer is that readers will be less inclined to write these events off as mere chance and be more apt to share them with the watching world, bringing honor and glory to our majestic and everlasting God.

Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. —Matthew 10:32

Part I: From the Beginning

Did you know coincidences by design have long been a method of glory between God and creation? In fact, several can be found throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testament. By the same token, some have even shaped the faith as we know it today! Part I: From the Beginning takes an in depth look at how God used CBDs in some of the most climactic moments in the Bible beginning with Genesis.

The Unnamed Servant

This coincidence by design begins with a lowly servant making a pledge to one of the most influential figures in the Bible. If you recall, God promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations.

After his wife Sarah’s death, Abraham sought to secure the hope of future generations by finding a wife for his son, Isaac, so he beckoned his most tenured servant in his household to aid in the matter.

Determined never to allow his beloved son to marry a Canaanite woman, Abraham said to his servant, Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac (Genesis 24:3–4).

Naturally, when the servant heard Abraham’s request, he immediately doubted his ability to find a suitor for his master’s son—so much so that he proposed Isaac journey to Abraham’s homeland to pick a wife himself.

I imagine the servant must have known what was at stake. After all, the woman he chose was going to be the mother of many nations . . . as numerous as the sand on the seashore! If that’s not pressure, I don’t know what is!

But Abraham vehemently denied his servant’s proposal, prompting his faith to take over. He assured the servant not to worry because God was sending an angel ahead of him to show him which woman to choose. However, to pacify the servant’s apprehensiveness, Abraham promised to relieve the servant from his oath in the event he was unable to find a wife for Isaac.

Determined to honor his master’s request, he swore to follow his instructions. Then the servant loaded ten camels with all kinds of expensive gifts and traveled to the distant land of Aramnaharaim where Abraham’s brother Nehor lived.

When the servant approached the outskirts of Nehor’s town, he knelt his camels beside a well. Then he did something profound and yet so simple . . . he turned to God for help! He prayed this request:

O  Lord, God of my master, Abraham, he prayed. Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master. (Genesis 24:12–14)

And before he had finished praying, while his petition was pouring from his heart, he saw a young woman approaching with a jug of water on her shoulders (Genesis 24:15). She was beautiful and looked old enough to marry. Hoping she could be the one, he stumbled over himself to ask her for a drink of water. After hearing the servant’s request, the mysterious woman humbly obliged and gave him water from the bucket on her shoulders. Once he finished drinking, she offered to draw water for—you guessed it—his camels too. All ten of them!

The servant stood in awe as the young woman tended to each of the camels in his caravan. Everything was going just as he had requested! After she watered the camels, the servant took out a nose ring and bracelets, anticipating she was his master’s suitor. Then he asked the woman whose daughter she was. She answered that she was the daughter of Bethuel, adding her grandparents were Nahor and Milcah.

That’s right—the young woman was kin to the very family from which Abraham hoped to secure a bride from! God had answered the servant’s prayer in resounding fashion!

Having heard enough, the servant gave her the gifts and bowed low and worshiped the Lord. ‘Praise the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham,’ he said. ‘The Lord has shown unfailing love and faithfulness to my master, for he has led me straight to my master’s relatives’ (Genesis 24:26–27).

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