Straightening your crooked

Chris Bolinger Dec. 16, 2022

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"Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough places smooth;
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

—Isaiah 40:4-5 (NKJV)

As leaders, we often try to leverage our strengths and minimize, or even hide, our weaknesses and flaws. But crooked places in our character cannot be hidden forever.

George Frideric Handel had a great deal of success early in life. Before the age of 30, he became the highest-paid composer in the world, and every performance of his in London sold out.

But Handel had a dark side – including a wicked temper and a sharp tongue – and he did not manage his finances well. As audiences began chasing after newer artists, Handel went from a top composer to a has-been. "Handel's great days are over," wrote Frederick the Great. Bankruptcy followed, and stress and depression brought on a palsy that crippled some of Handel's fingers.

Handel's troubles, however, matured him. His temper mellowed, and his music became more heartfelt.

One day the more mature Handel received from Charles Jennings a manuscript that was a collection of various Biblical texts, including prophecies, about Jesus. The opening words, from Isaiah 40, moved Handel to begin composing music to accompany all the texts.

Twenty-three days later, a three-hour oratorio of over 50 movements was complete. "Whether I was in the body or out of the body when I wrote it," he said later, "I know not."

Three weeks before Easter in 1743, Handel's Messiah opened to enormous crowds in London, with Handel leading from the harpsichord. Handel's fame rose again. Even after going blind, he continued to play the organ for performances of Messiah and his other oratorios until his death in 1759.

Once God made Handel's crooked straight and his rough places smooth, Handel's efforts were elevated to a pinnacle never before reached.

And the glory of the Lord was revealed.

This devotion is adapted from one in Daily Strength for Men, with source material fromRobert J. Morgan's 2003 book Then Sings My Soul: 150 of the World's Greatest Hymn Stories.

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Chris Bolinger is the author of three men’s devotionals – 52 Weeks of Strength for Men, Daily Strength for Men, and Fuerzas para Cada Día para el Hombre – and the co-host of the Throwing Mountains podcast. He splits his time between northeast Ohio and southwest Florida. Against the advice of medical professionals, he remains a die-hard fan of Cleveland pro sports teams. Find him at mensdevotionals.com. Learn More »

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