The Old Sheep Herder, and His Fiddle.

by
Dr. Dwight Garrett

Psalm 32:7
"Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance."

I am reminded of a story my daddy used to tell from time to time. Don’t know where or how he came across it, but he claimed it to be a true story.

Somewhere out in the western part of the United States, in the foothills of some lonesome mountains, once lived an old sheep herder who had an old hand-me-down fiddle, and he so dearly loved to play his old broken down fiddle so much. It is said that it was one of his most prized treasures that he used to entertain himself with daily. Problem with it was that it was badly out of tune and he had no real way of tuning it up.

The old man also had an old transistor radio that, late into the night he would listen to the music and play along with the songs he heard. Oh how he longed to be able to play the tumes he heard like the professional musicians would - but his old fiddle just was not in tune enough to be able to make it sound like that.

Then, one day, he got an idea. In desperation to tune the old fiddle, he decided to write a letter to one of the local radio stations close by, and in his letter, he asked them if they would mind striking an “A” tone at least once a day, at a particular time, so that he could use it as a base to tune his old fiddle with.

The letter arrived at the radio station, and this was a most unusual request, but after much discussion among the figure heads of the radio station, it was decided that they would honor the old mans request. So at noon, each day, the radio station would strike an “A” tone for this old sheep herder. Once this began, the old man was overwhelmed with joy because now he had a way to tune his fiddle, and he played and played and played, and it gave him so much pleasure and joy to be able to bring himself so much pleasure, enjoyment, and comfort through the music from his old fiddle now that it was in tune.

Sadly one day, the old sheep herder peacefully passed away and on his fiddle a handwritten note was found, thanking the radio station for honoring his request, and for helping to bring joy and happiness into his life with what they had done for him.

The story is told that for many years following the old mans passing, the radio station continued to strike an "A" tone - at noon each day - in his memory.

Sometimes when we live our lives apart from God, our hearts and lives become out of tune---out of harmony with His Will for us and out of tune with the sweet, sweet sounds of His Love. And sometimes we need our own “A” tone sounded, to provide a way for us to get ourselves back in tune with God, and with His Word, and so we should reach out to Him and ask for His help to bring our hearts back into tune once more.

Why not ask God to help you tune your life every day to His "A" tone - His Word, so that you too can bring harmony, joy, and peace to life through our Savior and TO those around us?

God can and will tune the strings of your heart, and will keep the beautiful melody of His undying and everlasting love ringing true all throughout the rest of your life, and beyond.

Are the chords of your heart out of tune with your life?

Is the music of God's Love not reaching it's full potential in your world?

Do you long for the beautiful music of satisfaction, love, hope and promise to surround you everyday of your life?

It is possible to have and to know such joy…all you have to do is go to the Savior and ask Him to help you get in tune with Him today!

Won't you let God strike an "A" tone of hope into your heart today? Then you too can get back in tune with Him and enjoy the same kind of pleasure, happiness, peace and comfort as in the story of:

The Old Sheep Herder, and His Fiddle

God Bless!