Behold, as the clay is in the potter's
hand, so are ye in my
hands"
Jeremiah 18:6
The Touch of The Master's
Hand
"Twas battered and scarred, and the
auctioneer thought it
scarcely worth his
while to spend
much time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a
smile.
"What am I bidden, good
folks," he cried.
"Who"ll start the
bidding for me?
A dollar - one 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 gray-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 a caroling-angel
sings.
The music ceased, then
the auctioneer,
with a voice that was
quiet and low,
Said, "What am I bid 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 no quite
understand. What changed its worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The touch of a master's
hand."
And many a man with life
out of tune,
and battered and scarred
with sin,
Is auctioned off cheap to a thoughtless crowd,
much like the old
violin.
A mess of potage, a
glass of wine,
a game, then he travels
on.
He's going once, and going twice,
he's going and almost
gone.
But the Master comes,
and the foolish
crowd never can quite
understand
The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought
by the touch of the
Master's hand.
(Myra Brooks Welch)
