... LISTENING FOR DISCORDS...

    The concert master signals one instrument section, and each instrumentalist will play the note, crisp and clear, for her to hear. She listens carefully for any discord. When she is satisfied, she moves to the next section and repeats the process.  She does not hurry the proceeding, and each instrument is in tune when she is finished. When she is satisfied that the whole orchestra is precisely tuned, she takes a seat in the orchestra. A hush again falls on the scene until the door opens again and the conductor enters....

   In the shadowy recesses of my memory, I can hear the deep resonance of the church bell ringing as the song leader gives the beginning note of the hymn on a bright Sunday morning as we assemble to worship. He blows on the pitch-pipe and hums the note, and the congregation begins softly and reverently singing the words:

Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this barren land;

I am weak, but thou art mighty, Hold me with thy pow'rful hand ;

Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more;

Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.

~~Thomas Hastings

  The voices swell in volume and richness as the hymn progresses, ending with a heartfelt roundness that reverberates in my young heart; and I know that there is a Guide to Whom others trust their lives, and I feel safe and secure in the warmth of trust. As I grow and experience life, I sometimes forget to trust the Great Guide. I take matters of life into my own hands, only to discover that I have made a mistake. I experience that discord in my life that could only be adjusted by stopping to tune my instrument to the unfailing 'A' in life. This takes time and humility. The concert master will not move to the next section until all instruments are correctly tuned. Sometimes I have impatiently wanted to reach the 'next level' in life, but God keeps me where I am until I have learned all He desires for me to learn at that moment. Learning cannot take place until I accept the facts that I am facing, and I leave those things in the powerful Hands of the Great Jehovah. It is then that I can anticipate the entrance of the Great Conductor of life...

The fourth assignment: Listen for any discord. Fine tune your life by placing all, without any reservations, in the Hands of the Great Conductor. This takes time and inward examination. Give everything into His Hands, and rest in the trust that He will be faithful in all things.

 

Righteous art thou, O LORD, and upright are thy judgments.

Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful. 

~~Psalm 119: 137, 138