A painting of an old violin with a bow lying across it hangs on the wall in my office. Scattered around the violin are a couple of old books and some ivy. The painting is titled “The Touch of the Master’s Hand,” inspired by Myra Brooks Welch’s 1921 poem of the same name.
Welch’s poem tells the story of a battered, old violin up for auction. The uninspired auctioneer begins the bidding at just $1 and only manages to up the bid to $3. Suddenly, an elderly man stands up, steps forward, picks up the violin, and begins to play beautiful music. The audience is stunned. Almost immediately, the auctioneer raises the bidding from $3 to $3,000. Many in the audience wondered what had changed. But others already knew: It was the touch of the master’s hand.
When I first heard that poem, something resonated within me. Through the skill of a master musician, that shabby, old, seemingly worthless violin produced wondrous music. The insignificant had become the extraordinary.
The poem marvelously illustrates how God works in the lives of His people. Scripture is filled with examples of God using ordinary people and mundane objects and making them extraordinary. As the apostle Paul said, “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Cor. 1:27).
Consider how God transformed Moses’ common shepherd’s staff into a serpent, an object of power (Ex. 4). Likewise, God told the Israelite army to march around the impregnable wall surrounding the city of Jericho, holding simple rams’ horns, until Joshua commanded the people to blow them. When they did, the wall came down (Josh. 6:3–5). Gideon’s small army of 300 men, armed with trumpets, pitchers, torches, and the battle cry, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” (Judg. 7:20), used these mundane implements to defeat a huge Midianite army. Even King David, when he was merely a young shepherd boy, used a sling and a stone to defeat the giant warrior Goliath, whom all the men of Israel greatly feared (1 Sam. 17). And Jesus Himself transformed a boy’s lunch of five loaves of bread and two fish into a meal that fed thousands of people (Jn. 6:1–14).
If we look closely enough, we can see that God still transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Storytelling Stickers
In recent years, I have come to realize how much people love stickers. They place them on their laptops, water bottles, notebooks, and clothes. Many Christians place them on their Bibles. So, The Friends of Israel’s (FOI’s) North American Ministries decided to create and make available “I love Israel” stickers as a way to express support for Israel and the Jewish people. We have already distributed more than 10,000 of these stickers. And we’ve quickly seen how God has used them for His glory.
Last year, a young man on a worship team at Word of Life Bible Institute in New York displayed one of these stickers on his guitar. Sitting in the audience, my colleague Chris Katulka noticed the sticker; gave the guitarist a thumbs up; and said, “Good job.” The young man replied, “I want people to know Israel is important to me.”
While attending FOI’s Proclaim conference in Bellmawr, New Jersey, last year, a woman named Sue received a number of “I love Israel” stickers. She immediately stuck one on her cell phone. A few days later, she visited a phone center to update her husband’s phone. The technician, noticing her sticker, asked if she was Jewish.
“No,” replied Sue. “I’m a Christian who loves Israel and the Jewish people.”
The technician, a Muslim, never heard a Christian say such a thing. Confused, he asked why a Christian would love Israel and the Jewish people, who primarily do not believe in Jesus. Her response only prompted more questions. Following this encounter, Sue arranged for her pastor to meet with the technician and two of his coworkers who wanted to learn more. Sue’s pastor later excitedly shared with me about his meeting with the men.
“I came to the phone store, introduced myself, and we had a wonderful conversation,” he told me. “I was able to share the gospel, and they said they would come to visit my church.” It’s amazing how much God accomplished through one sticker!
Using the Small Things
God uses other small things for His glory as well. Brian, a Christian college student who loves the Jewish people, had returned home from school on winter break. His grandfather asked Brian to accompany him to visit some of his friends at a retirement home. At first, Brian thought, I don’t want to spend my vacation talking to a bunch of old guys. But he paused for a moment and reconsidered, deciding he would go for his grandfather’s sake.
When Brian arrived, he introduced himself to a number of these “old guys.” As it turns out, the daughter of one of the men is a rabbi. Brian spent most of his time at the retirement home speaking with her. During their conversation, he explained to her his love for the Jewish people because of the Jewish Messiah. She was so impressed with his knowledge and thoughtfulness that she invited him to tour her synagogue.
God is limitless. He can utilize anything or anybody for His glory. The Bible records Him using a shepherd’s staff; rams’ horns; trumpets, pitchers, torches, and a battle cry; a sling and a stone; and a lunch. But He also uses stickers and retirement home visits. They are all small things; but in God’s hands, they become tools for His divine purposes.
When the Jewish remnant returned from the Babylonian Captivity, they were discouraged by their God-given project of rebuilding the Temple. This Second Temple was much less grand than Solomon’s original Temple. Some of the remnant even wept, likely because of its inferior appearance (Ezra 3:12). But through the prophet Zechariah, God rebuked them, asking, “Who has despised the day of small things?” (Zech. 4:10). He reminded the Jewish people that their obedience was the priority, not the smaller Temple. Their worship itself meant more to God than the place where they would worship Him.
In God’s hands, nothing is too small or insignificant. He can use a simple conversation, an act of kindness, or even a sticker for His glory. So, don’t despise the small things. Instead, stand in awe of what our God can do.
