The Hammered Dulcimer

It seems like every day we hear more bad economic news. I can't help but worry about what the future holds. This last week has been a slow week at my business. It is not unusual for there to be a slow week, but when I hear nothing but bad economic news, it makes me wonder. As I have been praying about the financial situation. I have been reminded of the way God has taken care of me in the past. One particular instance came to mind, and I thought I would share it with you.

Several years ago our family made a trip to Branson Missouri to meet my sister and her family. We had a delightful weekend, enjoying everything except the Branson traffic. We especially enjoyed going to Silver Dollar City.

While we were at Silver Dollar City we listened to traditional mountain music. I like to listen to mountain instruments, especially the hammered dulcimer. There were vendors there selling instruments, and I stopped at one of the booths to look at the hammered dulcimers. The salesman showed me the different dulcimers that he had, and assured me that with the materials he had I would be able to learn to play. In the excitement of the moment, I purchased the hammered dulcimer.

When I returned home, I got the new hammered dulcimer out and tried to play it. Somehow I just couldn't get the hang of it. I watched the video that the salesman had included. I still couldn't make music. All I could make was horrendous noise. I read the book that came with the instrument but it didn't seem to help. I came to realize that I just wasn't musically talented. I would probably never be a hammered dulcimer player. The brand new hammered dulcimer with its zippered case and its wooden stand were put in the closet. The only time I thought about them was when they got in my way as I was trying to get something out of the closet.

Like many other families in the Mena area, our family didn't have a great year financially. Among other things, our heat pump was struck by lightening and the compressor had to be replaced. As I was thinking about how I was going to pay for the new heat pump, that hammered dulcimer came to mind. I wondered if I could sell it. I thought about selling it on ebay, but I never got around to it.

One day on an impulse I called the swap shop at noon on KENA radio and listed the hammered dulcimer. I had heard a lot of unusual things for sale on the swap shop, but never a hammered dulcimer. The day went by and I did not receive any calls about the dulcimer. I thought to myself, I didn't really think anyone would call.

That night there was another small crisis at home. The washing machine wasn't working properly. I don't know about your house, but at my house that was a crisis. Where were we going to get the money to pay for the repairs? We hadn't recovered from replacing the heat pump. Call a repairman I told my wife, we have to get the washing machine fixed. That night we prayed that God would help us out of this financial problem.

The next day about noon I received a call from Waldron. The caller asked, "Do you have a hammered dulcimer for sale? I have been looking for one for my daughter and a friend told me they had heard one for sale on the radio." I assured her that I did, and made arrangements to meet her to show her the dulcimer. When she saw the instrument she gave me my asking price immediately. It was almost exactly the amount that the repairman needed for fixing the washing machine.

As the buyer was leaving I told her, "I don't know if you are a Christian or not, but I have to tell you something." I was so excited by how God was taking care of my financial problem that I had to tell her the whole story of the dulcimer and the washing machine. After I had told her the story, she replied, "I am a Christian, and I have to tell you a story. My daughter has wanted a hammered dulcimer for some time. I have been to several music stores, but the cost of a hammered dulcimer is more than we can afford. My daughter has been praying that God would help her find a dulcimer she could afford. I told her that used ones were very hard to find, but she continued to pray. Finding this dulcimer at a reasonable price is an answer to our prayers."

I stood there stunned as I realized that the great God that we serve had answered the prayers of two families that day. In Philippians 4:6 it says "Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks."