By: Denny

We have a daily 4” x 5” inch devotional flip calendar on our table that we read while having breakfast. It is by Billy Graham and each day contains a short inspirational message and a thought to meditate on. January 1st was about an old sheep herder who lived alone out West tending his sheep. He had an old fiddle which was out of tune, and he had no way of tuning it. He had the idea to write to a radio station and asked them to play the tone of A440 at a certain hour on a certain day. They granted his request and once he had the A string tuned, he could octave tune the other strings from it. I know firsthand how the old man felt. It is frustrating to not be able to play a fiddle when it is not tuned properly. My great grandpa played the fiddle. He passed it on to my grandpa, who stored it away on a closet shelf where it sat for years. When grandpa died, my dad found it and offered it to anyone of us kids who wanted it and would learn to play it. I always liked to listen to fiddle music, so I took it. It was a mess! The strings were broken, the neck was loose, the back had separated in places, the bridge was gone, and the bow needed to be rehaired. It looked hopeless that it would ever play again, but I was willing to give it a chance. I took it to a music store which did repairs and asked them to do what they could to make it playable. They said they would do their best, but weren’t promising anything. Several weeks later they called and said it was finished and I could pick it up. I was amazed and impressed that it looked so good, but how would it sound? I bought a beginner’s book on playing the fiddle and was determined to find out. I could read music as a result of playing the clarinet in grade school, but this was a whole different instrument. Without frets it was a challenge and a learning experience to know the finger positions, notwithstanding how to run the bow across the strings with the right amount of pressure so it didn’t sound like a catfight. I was persistent and determined and with much practice was able to eke out a simple fiddle tune. That was 45 years ago. I gradually got better with the help of some lessons I took from another fiddler. Needless to say, I never hit the big time or moved to Nashville. I just always enjoyed playing my great grandpa’s fiddle and making it sing again after all those years of wasting away in the closet. For me it is difficult to get the strings in tune with each other and at the right pitch. A fiddle doesn’t need to be tuned to perfect A440 in order to play it. If you don’t have a tuner, you can set the A string to where you want it, then octave tune the other strings based on it. It’s called tuning the fiddle to itself. It works fine if all you do is play alone, but you need to retune it to the A440 standard in order to play with other instruments. A few years back I had surgery on my left hand and great grandpa’s fiddle has been sitting idle. My hand recovered and is doing fine. I guess I lost interest, and as it happens, other things took precedence. Over time I have acquired three other fiddles, one of which has a built-in electric pickup and was custom built and handcrafted by Sam Forbes, a neighbor who himself was a master fiddler and had a collection of over 50. All four now hang on display in our living room along with a framed picture of the words to the song.

  The Touch of the Master’s Hand

Well it was battered and scared, And the auctioneer felt it was hardly worth his while, To waste much time on the old violin but he held it up with a smile, Well it sure aint much but it’s all we got left I guess we ought to sell it too, Oh, now who’ll start the bid on this old violin? Just one more and we’ll be through.

And then he cried, “One give me one dollar who’ll make it two? Only two dollars, who’ll make it three? Three dollars twice, now that’s a good price, but who’s got a bid for me? Raise up your hand and don’t wait any longer, the auction’s about to end. Who’s got four, just one dollar more, to bid on this old violin?”

Well the air was hot, and the people stood around as the sun was setting low. From the back of the crowd a gray-haired man came forward, picked up the bow. He wiped the dust from the old violin, and he tightened up the strings. Then he played out a melody pure and sweet, sweet as the angels sing. And then the music stopped, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low, he said, “What is my bid for this old violin?”, then he held it up with the bow.

And then he cried out, “One give me one thousand, who’ll make it two? Only two thousand, who’ll make it three? Three thousand twice, now that’s a good price, but who’s got a bid for me?” The people called out, “What made the change? We don’t understand.” Then the auctioneer stopped, and he said with a smile, “It was the touch of the master’s hand.”

Now you know many a man with his life out of tune is battered and scarred with sin, and he’s auctioned cheap to a thankless world, much like the old violin. Then the Master comes, and the foolish crowd, they never understand the worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought just by the touch of the Master’s hand.

Again he cried out, “One give me one thousand, who’ll make it two? Only two thousand, who’ll make it three? Three thousand twice, now that’s a good price, but who’s got a bid for me?” The people called out, “What made the change? We don’t understand.” Then the auctioneer stopped, and he said with a smile, “It was the touch of the master’s hand.” “It was the touch of the master’s hand. It was the touch of the master’s hand.”

I once asked Sam what the difference was between a violin and a fiddle. He said they are the same instrument except that a fiddle will have steel strings while a violin used in an orchestra will have gut strings. The bridge is also lower and less rounded at the top so it’s easier to play two strings together, which gives the fiddle its unique country sound. He also said a fiddle is made to play fiddle music. By comparison we are made in the image of God so that we can have relationship with him. Sin has left us battered, scarred, and broken with pieces missing much like the old fiddle. We needed a complete restoration, which Jesus accomplished when He took our sin upon himself and was nailed to the cross dying in our place. He rose from the dead so that we could be whole again and have His resurrected life dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit. Sadly, many are those who are sold cheap by sin and remain in the darkness of the closet. They need to be rescued by hearing the good news of the gospel and be restored in the truth that God loves them, and they are useful when touched by His hand. Others are like the fiddle tuned to itself. They have tuned their lives to what they want, and that which sounds and feels good according to their own standards. They live and play for their enjoyment only. They cannot have fellowship with God because they aren’t in tune with His perfect A440 standard, His word. They are much like the sheep herder who needed to hear the A440 tune. But how will they hear it? Christian, you are called to sound it out. Psalm 89:15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! If you’ve heard it and you know it, then proclaim it. There are many who need to hear what you have heard and know what you know. You could be the very instrument in God’s hand who He uses so others too can experience the Touch of the Masters Hand.

There is a nice music video featuring “The Touch of the Master’s Hand” by Wayne Watson. If you click on this link it will take you to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Ud34hc_l0