Master’s Touch
Dan Fogelberg passed away in 2007. He was from Peoria, Illinois, and played in a local band, often playing at Morton High School. My sister knew him and I always liked his music. He was a true, classicly trained musician. He had some big hits back in the ’70s and ’80s. My favorite song of his has always been the one he wrote about his dad, the band director for Pekin High School. Here’s the 3rd verse and chorus:
Lyrics
I thank you for the music and your stories of the road
I thank you for the freedom when it came my time to go
I thank you for the kindness and the times when you got tough
And papa, I don't think I said I love you near enough
The leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul
My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man
I'm just a living legacy to the leader of the band
I am a living legacy to the leader of the band
You can always tell a master of any trade because they make their work look so easy yet the results rise above their peers. Dan was a master musician.
Jesus was and is the Master Craftsman, and thankfully, He crafted a yoke just for me. There’s an amazing account of Jesus showing us who He is. The account is found in Luke 8:42-47 (NIV), which says:
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
A master craftsman knows, when performing his or her trade, what’s important and what isn’t. A thousand things may all be nagging in their mind trying to get the craftsman’s attention. But it’s the master’s skill that filters those out and applies just the right skill with the right tool at the right time for the right results.
For the woman with the bleeding, Jesus said, “… power has gone out from me.” He’s aware of all that is taking place around him. The woman is instantly healed. Jesus then says, “…your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
Dan Fogelberg was a master craftsman of music. Jesus is the Master Craftsman. What do you need? As a Christian, Jesus will hear you and meet that need, just as He did for the bleeding woman. Just ask in faith. Receive the Master’s touch.