God's Great Poet

At 17 years old, John Milton knew what he wanted to do with his life. Brought up in a home where his prosperous father was a church musician, among other things, John was well-educated. By the time he was twelve, he was already studying several languages, both modern and classical. By the time he entered Christ’s College, John knew that he would be a poet. But not just any poet. He wanted to be a “great” poet. Even more, he wanted to be “God’s” great poet. Today, more than 400 years after his birth, we are still reading and studying John Milton’s poetry. His long poem about the fall of man, Paradise Lost, is considered the greatest epic poem written in the English language. God’s great poet indeed!

Milton’s decision as a teenager to be the best he could be for God is an amazing one to me. Every time I share his story with the seniors, I am inspired to rededicate my own life, re-explore my own determination and purpose for life. What interests me even more is the lengths Milton went to prepare himself to accomplish the goal he set for himself as a young man. After obtaining his M.A., he returned to his father’s house and spent the next six years continuing his studies, reading everything then known in ancient and modern languages (imagine!). He then embarked on a two-year Grand Tour of Europe that was, unfortunately, cut short by political turbulence back in England. Still, by the time he began his work as a writer, he was very well prepared, quite able to fulfill his life’s purpose.

I love that Milton’s plan was to not only be great, but great for God. I love that the plan, while seemingly ambitious, was doable, and that education, both formal and personal, was integral to the success of the plan. And I love that the plan blossomed into fruition. No doubt that prayer and meditation went hand in hand with study. No doubt there were days when John questioned himself. Certainly, he questioned God when, at age 44, he went blind. He even wrote a sonnet lamenting the fact that he would no longer be able to serve God the way he was used to. The turning point of the poem, though, is where he realizes that God didn’t really need him, He just needed him to be willing and ready to serve if need be. “They also serve who only stand and wait,” John concludes. And yet, he found a way to keep creating, keep serving. It was after that devastating loss of sight, that he wrote what became his greatest work. 11,000 lines of poetry, composed in his head at night and dictated to his daughter and other helpers in the morning, Paradise Lost was an instant success. Critics were amazed; even John Dryden, a contemporary and sometime literary rival, is reported to have said, "This man cuts us all out, and the ancients too."

Even more interesting, especially for today as we are dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic, is that the year was 1665, in the midst of London's Great Plague.  Milton fled the city with his wife and daughters and it was during this time of exile from home that the great English epic was born.  Not only that, but its sequel Paradise Regain’d was also inspired during this Plague quarantine.

John Milton realized that being at the ready for God is the greatest possible service to Him. He got ready by getting the best possible education. He got ready by determining to accept nothing but the best from himself. He got ready by saying out loud that he was going to be God’s best poet, and then finding a way to make that happen. What about you? What are you doing today? Are you the best at your job? Are you the best at your job? Are you God’s best at your job? My prayer for each of us today is that this may be so.