On November 23, 1654, Pascal's horses bolted and plunged off a bridge.
Pascal was thrown into the roadway. He saw this as a warning directly from God.
That night he experienced a Christian conversion that would cause his
outstanding scientific work to take second place in his pursuits. Light flooded
his room. He recognized Jesus, the Word. For the rest of his life Pascal carried
around a piece of parchment sewn into his coat--a parchment inscribed with
ecstatic phrases:
"God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and
scholars...Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy...'This is life eternal that they might
know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.' Jesus
Christ. Jesus Christ...May I not fall from him forever...I will not forget your
word. Amen."
From that day forward, Blaise Pascal realized even more deeply that he must
live primarily for God. He started out by giving much more to the poor.
This, from one of the most influential scientist/philosopher/mathematician/writer of his time. He refers to the God of the Bible, specifically quotes John 17:3 and says the word joy four times. I mention this because I can not help but think of all the brilliant, yet depressed geniuses over the course of history. Pascal, in a moment of trauma, was led to have "fullness of joy in His presence" (Psalm 16:11). One of my professors, Dr. Schreiner, points to the similarity of Pascal's conversion to the Apostle Paul's conversion.
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