The Symphony That Rose from Ruin

In 1741, George Frideric Handel was a broken man. A stroke four years earlier had left his right side partially paralyzed. His operas were failing. Creditors circled. London's musical establishment had written him off as finished. At fifty-six, the composer who had once dazzled kings sat alone in his Brook Street home, staring at a scripture libretto a friend had sent him.

Then something extraordinary happened. Handel picked up his pen and began to write. For twenty-four days he barely ate or slept. Servants found him weeping at his desk, tears falling onto the manuscript pages. When he finished the "Hallelujah" chorus, he reportedly told a servant, "I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself."

What emerged from those feverish weeks was Messiah — arguably the most beloved sacred work ever composed. Music that has moved millions to their feet for nearly three centuries poured out of a man the world had discarded.

This is how the Almighty works. He does not wait for perfect conditions. He writes His greatest symphonies through cracked instruments. Paul knew this well: "We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

If you feel finished today — broken, past your usefulness — take heart. God is not done composing. Your most glorious movement may be the one He writes next.