The Touch of the Master's Hand, has long been a favourite of mine. It has given me much hope in the redemption of Jesus, His touch that transforms.
As we read the Gospels, of the time Jesus spent on this earth, He touched people, bringing life to brokenness.
He sees beyond to what we can be and to who we are. He sees beyond our mistakes, the wrong choices we make. His love knows our worth. After all, He created us and knows exactly who we are.
The Touch of the Master's Hand
by Myra Brooks Welch
"Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried. "Who will start the bidding for me?
a dollar, a dollar" - then, "Two! Only two? Two dollars, and who'll make it three?
Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice; Going for three -" But no,
From the room, far back, a grey-haired man came forward and picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet, as sweet as a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, "What am I bidden for the old violin?" And he held it up with the bow.
"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
Two thousand! And who'll make it three
Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice; And going, and gone!" said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand what changed its worth?"
Swift came the reply; "The touch of the master's hand."
And many a man with life out of tune, and battered and scattered with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin.
A "mess of pottage", a glass of wine, A game - and he travels on.
He's going once, and going twice, he's going and almost gone.
But the Master comes, and the foolish crown never can quite understand
The worth of a soul, and the change that's wrought
BY THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND!
The touch of Jesus transforms.
The touch of Jesus heals.
The touch of Jesus creates.
The touch of Jesus plays the music in our lives.
Does your life feel 'out of tune' today? Maybe pain, pride, fear, success blinds you?
The touch of Jesus is for you today. We can go to Him like the people did those years ago. The lame, the blind, the hurting, the bleeding, the seeker; went to Jesus for His touch and for His voice of truth.
As I think of being the hands and feet of Jesus, a question or two that I ask myself is, "Do I see beyond the person who stands before me, beside me, to who God has created them to be? Do I see beyond their choices and am I willing to partner with Jesus in drawing out beauty, in 'playing the music'?" I think of the quote by Sara Hagerty, "Little did I know that most of the treasures within a person lay hidden below the surface waiting for a voice to call it out. Beauty in another requires participation".
May Jesus' touch first impact our own lives and then, to go, and be that touch, that one voice that calls out the beauty that lays beneath.
