I’m intrigued by the innumerable ways people come to saving faith in Christ. For some, conversion is dramatic and decisive. For others, it is gradual and progressive. Philosopher Johann Hamann (1730-1788) had elements of both gradual and sudden conversion to accompany his spiritual awakening. He dropped out of college in Russia without earning a degree. A friend helped him land a job with his father’s company, and he traveled to London to negotiate a trade deal with the Russian Ambassador. Johann was unsuited for the job, and the meeting became an embarrassing debacle. He remained in London, partied hard, and spent all his money. Mercifully, he found lodging with a Christian couple and, in despair, began to read the Bible. He wrote of the night, “The Spirit of God revealed the mystery of divine love and the benefit of faith in our gracious, only Savior.” This is how he described his spiritual birth in Thoughts on the Course of My Life, “My heart felt more at rest than ever before in my life. In the moments when depression wanted to arise, I was overwhelmed with a sense of comfort, the origin of which I cannot credit to myself… I was shocked by its overflow. It swallowed up all fear, all sadness, all mistrust.” This became his impetus to go to church, confess his sins to a priest, receive absolution, and join in worship to receive Holy Communion. Johann became a committed Christian and one of the ablest defenders of Christianity in his day. He gave up his commitment to the secular Enlightenment and challenged the infallibility of reason to resolve all questions with certainty. Knowledge is also dependent on faith.
His prayer printed here is long, but you should have seen it before I trimmed it. What an expansive prayer to draw us into God’s presence today: