A sermon that appeared earlier this year in an issue of The Christian Ministry tells of the time when the great composer George Frederick Handel was going through rough waters in his life and career. He had recently faced a serious illness that left his hands partially crippled. In the social circles of eighteenth-century Europe he couldn't seem to fit in, even among fellow musicians. But perhaps most devastating for him personally was the knowledge that his music wasn't being appreciated. In fact, as far as public opinion was concerned, his new operas were failures. Creditors were hounding him.
Here was a lonely man with very little in the way of recognition for his lifework. Yet there came a turn in Handel's life. As the story is told, he had been snubbed at a gathering of musicians one night, and he returned home in a despondent mood. Handel found, however, that a friend had come by and "left a package on his desk containing a compilation of Bible verses, a grouping his friend called 'Messiah.' " At first, Handel was in no temper to consider the verses, yet one particular passage captured his attention. It was from the Old Testament (Isa. 40:1, 5): "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.... And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."
Almost miraculously, those Bible verses opened a new window on life for the composer. "Handel's loneliness began to lift....The harmonies of mighty choruses and the music of orchestra and organ flooded his barren soul, enlivening him. With incredible rapidity he filled page after page. He worked all night, without sleep."
