Behind the Song: Touch of the Master’s Hand
I first heard and loved this song more than 20 years ago when released. However, lately this song keeps returning in my life.
As I transform with my weight loss and other areas of my life, I’m seeing the difference the touch of the Master’s Hand can make.
So, how did the song originate?
The song, sung by Wayne Watson, is based on the poem by the same name. The poem was written by Myra Brooks Welsh.
Myra Welsh is referred to as “the poet with the singing soul.”
Although she came from a musical family, the poetry in her soul did not bubble forth until tragedy struck and she was confined to a wheelchair.
Myra did not have an easy life. Due to the severity of her arthritis, she was confined to a wheelchair. Her disability limited her ability to make music through playing the organ, a gift she dearly loved.
She discovered that she could express the music in her soul through the gift of poetry. Reportedly, she took a pencil in each hand, painstakingly using the eraser end to slowly type the words that were in her heart. She stated that the joy of writing outweighed the pain of her efforts.
Upon hearing a guest speaker at her church, she sat down and wrote “The Touch of the Master’s Hand” within the next 30 minutes.
Feeling the poem was a gift from God, she anonymously sent it to her church bulletin. The poem was first published in The Gospel Messenger on February 26, 1921.
The poem became popular and quickly spread.
Years later the poem was read at a religious convention and accredited to “author unknown.” However, there was a young man in the audience that stood up and said, “I know the author, and it’s time the world did too. It was written by my mother, Myra Welch.”
Her name soon became known by all. All reports say that her “poetry told of the rejoicing she had in God’s love.”
The famous poem not only inspired the song, but also a film.
How has the touch of the Master’s Hand changed your life?
To me this was the greatest song ever written. I first heard by my favorite musician Wayne Watson.