Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), one of the keenest intellects of the seventeenth century, was also a fervent believer in Jesus Christ. He is mainly known today for his scientific discoveries (the theory of probabilities, the binomial theorem, the law of hydrostatics, the invention of the first calculating machine) and his contributions to the development of modern French prose in his works Pensees and Les Provinciales. Pascal's writings are not theoretical and abstract, but experiential and concrete.
In his researches into the nature of the vaccum, he realised its spiritual counterpart in man. Within every human being he saw an emptiness and a longing for happiness, genuine love, and something of lasting value. He described this yearning as a "God-shaped vacuum" which only the person of Jesus Christ could fill. In section VII of the Pensees he wrote: "All men seek happiness. This is without exception.... This is the motive of every action of every man.... And after a great number of years, no one without faith has reached the point to which we all continually look.... The inifnite abyss (within man) can only be filled by an infinite and immutable object, that is to say, God Himself."
In his own life, he confessed that not his brilliant intellect, not his refined thoughts, not his great scientific research could fill the void within. Only through the person of JEsus Christ is our deepest hunger satisified, our deepest thirst quenched.
The Testimony of the Bible
The writings of Pascal clearly match the truth of the Bible. The Bible does tell us that man has a "God-shaped vacuum" which can be filled by God Himself. It refers to this part within man as the spirit. First Thessalonians 5:23 says that man is composed of "spirit and soul and body." The body is the physical part of the man that receives satisfaction from the things of the material world. The soul of man is the psychological part that is made up of the mind, emotion and will. In essence, the soul is the personality of man. While it can be satisified by some material things, it requires things such as love, happiness, humour and knowledge for satisfaction. However it is the spirit of man that is the deepest part, the vacuum, that can only be satisified with God Himself.
The Bible reveals that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14) who in resurrection became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor 15:45b). Hence, "the Lord is the Spirit" (2 Cor 3:17). As the Spirit, Christ the Lord can "be with our spirit" (2 Tim 4:22). So we can be one spirit with Him (1 Cor 6:17). In such a way we actually have Christ in us (Col 1:27) filling our God-shaped vacuum with reality, peace and satisfaction.
The way to be filled in our spirit (Eph 5:18) is by prayer. Simply pray out loud:
Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for me.
I confess that I have tried to be
satisified with many other things.
Take away my sin. I praise You that
You are the reality, peace,
and satisifaction.
Lord, I receive You, come into me!
Fill my vacuum with your life!
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