The Composer Who Heard Heaven in His Ruins

In 1741, George Frideric Handel was a ruined man. At fifty-six, he was drowning in debt, partially paralyzed from a stroke, and largely forgotten by the London audiences who had once adored him. Critics called him finished. He had every reason to agree.

Then a libretto arrived from Charles Jennens — a collection of Scripture passages telling the story of Christ from prophecy through resurrection. Something ignited in Handel. He began to compose, and for twenty-four days he barely ate or slept. Servants left trays of food outside his door and retrieved them untouched. When a servant checked on him during the composition of the Hallelujah Chorus, he found Handel weeping. "I did think I did see all Heaven before me," Handel said, "and the great God Himself."

What emerged was Messiah — 259 pages of music that has moved millions for nearly three centuries. The man the world had discarded became a vessel for one of the most transcendent works ever created.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Almighty does not wait for us to be whole before He works through us. He specializes in composing masterpieces from broken instruments. Whatever ruin you are sitting in today, the God who opened Heaven to a bankrupt composer can open a new movement in your life.