UPDATE: SSN 777-77-7777

Re: my May 15, 2000 message, "Virtually impossible odds."

Last night Dr. Armando Pardillo updated me on his reported treatment of a patient with a social security number (SSN) of 777-77-7777 the very day after he asked for confirmation of a prayer.

Armando did some further investigation and discovered that the patient was a lady from Venezuela about in her mid-70s, and not a U.S. citizen. She did not have a SSN. Apparently a clerk had arbitrarily entered 777-77-7777 to satisfy the data field on the medical computer record.

This changes but does not nullify our original speculation of about the "odds" of such an experience the day after Armando's prayer. The experience was extremely unlikely, because:

1. Neither he nor Dr. Zambrano had ever run into this before in all the patients they had treated in their careers.

2. Armando is in a group of 17 doctors. The patient could have been treated by any one of the 17. Odds: 1 in 17.

3. The patient could have gone to any one of many clinics, hospitals or doctors offices in South Florida, or anywhere in the U.S. or Venezuela. Odds: high but unknown.

4. It could have happened on any other day than the day after his prayer. Odds: 1 in 365.

5. The clerk could have punched in any other number than seven. Odds: 1 in 9.

6. The clerk could have entered random numbers instead of a series of all one number. Odds: astronomical.

The combined odds above are extremely high against Armando encountering by sheer coincidence the nine 7s on the very day after his prayer. It was still an astonishing event.

Conclusion: Our sovereign Lord orchestrated it, for whatever His purposes.