The Touch of the Master's Hand

What can God do in a willing servant's life? King David was a man after God's own heart, and God used him in mighty ways as David followed God's direction. Even in King David's failings, God used Him to do mighty things. David was a sheep herder and not a very big guy, but with God's power, David killed mighty Goliath with one stone. It is not our power, but God's power that always makes the difference. The prophet Zechariah prophesied the following from God. Zechariah 4:⁶ Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. ⁷ Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him! And when Zerubbabel sets the final stone of the Temple in place, the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’

Here is the kicker. Who gets the glory and praise? It is God alone, and the realization that we are nothing without God's power brings everything into focus. On the other hand, when we place our lives in the hands of the Master, He will do great and mighty things in our lives. We may think we are so talented, even though it is God working, and miss the blessing of praising God for it. When we wake up and realize we have the touch of the Master's hand, then we can say May God Bless It!!

There is a very old poem by the name The Touch of the Master's Hand, or The Old Violin, written by Myra Brooks Welch, and a few lines from this poem really stick out to me. 'Twas battered and scarred, And the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while To waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile. At the beginning, the bidding was only one dollar and then two, but then the bidding ceased. The poem continues on: But, no, from the room far back a gray bearded man Came forward and picked up the bow, Then wiping the dust from the old violin And tightening up the strings, He played a melody, pure and sweet As sweet as the angel sings. Then the bidding began to pick up to the figure of $3000.00, and it was sold.

What had changed the worth of the old violin? It was the touch of the master's hand, and the player made it come alive. God takes our worthless attempts at living life, and when His Spirit does a work in us, our lives ring out a beautiful, different life that is full of hope and love. But, it is nothing we do that matters, except that we put ourselves in the hands of the Master. God is the One, and nothing else.

What are you worth? We are worth God sending His Son to die for us unjustly. Jesus was sinless and perfect, yet he took our sin and shed His blood for us, so that we could not only be made right with God, but also made usable for God to play beautiful music through us. Never doubt that God has great plans for you, and those plans will come to fruition if you place your life in the Master's Hands. When you do a beautiful song will come from your life, and your worth will be elevated, all because of God. James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. God used a little stone that David hit Goliath with, and I have to ask, "What is in your pocket" that God will use mightily for His glory? Never underestimate the power of God.

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren