The Boy Who Was Overheard at the Chapel Organ

In 1692, a physician named Georg Handel had no intention of letting his eight-year-old son pursue music. The boy was destined for law — a respectable, practical career. But young George Frideric had smuggled a small clavichord into the attic of their home in Halle, Germany, and practiced late at night when his father was asleep, pressing the keys as softly as he could.

One Sunday, the boy slipped away to the chapel at the court of Duke Johann Adolf in Weissenfels. He found the organ and began to play. What he did not know was that the Duke was listening from an adjacent room. When Georg Handel came to collect his son, the Duke stopped him. He had heard something in the boy's playing that the father had missed entirely — not just talent, but a calling. The Duke urged Georg to provide the child with proper musical training. Within weeks, young Handel was studying under the finest organist in Halle.

The boy had no idea anyone was watching. He played because he could not help it. And the one who listened saw his future before he did.

This is the mystery Nathanael encountered beneath the fig tree. Before Philip ever spoke his name, before Nathanael took a single step toward Jesus, the Lord already saw him — saw not just where he sat, but who he truly was. The Almighty does not wait for our arrival to begin knowing us. He is already listening in the next room.