Hope - for His Glory

This concept of Hope has gripped me like no other thing has...or at least not lately.

Hope.

I have an amazing upright cabinet grand piano. It was left in one of my grandmother's rent houses when I was a kid, and it was given to me. Because I had no piano and my cousins did (just to explain why I got it instead of any one else).

I got him when I was 10 or 12. I can't remember which. I took a few lessons and then quit. I didn't like counting and my teacher wanted me to count. I liked it better if I could play like "This" ...let's hold this note out instead. Shorten this one...

Sigh. I ended up quitting - and she ended up going to college. She's my cousin, by the way.

Let me back up just a skosh. The man who came to tune the piano when we first got it - is a genius. He never learned to play by note - he learned to play by following around a piano tuner. He watched the piano tuner play and learned the intervals. He also had (and still does) have a love for player pianos. His heart's desire is to have a museum.

My Piano Man, like many geniuses, is very quirky. He's often late. He's often broke. But he's always a genius when it comes to tuning.

He tuned the piano up to and right after The Professor and I got married. After the Professor and I got married, he traveled up to us (an hour drive) and even replaced the "ivory" on the keys. They look great.

Then we had babies and we moved. And I heard that my Piano Man had moved out of state.
I was busy with babies. And then, When I did play, they wanted to pound, too. That didn't quite work out well. Pounding on something over 100 years old isn't very nice. and it's hard to play along when that happens.

The cover stayed shut on the piano for far too long.

A couple of times, I would venture a phone call to a piano tuner and would get the same message. The same, "Well, if it's that old ... "

Then I went in to the music store to buy a tambourine. They had pianos. I sat down at a grand and tried not to drool. I had to have my piano tuned. It was time. I called a guy that advertised himself as a piano restorer. Great!!

He took a look at my piano and came up with a shopping list of things that were wrong with Him.
Hmph.
I wanted my Piano Man back. He KNOWS my piano's SOUL. I called his mom just to see if he was in the state. He was. :-)

I got in touch -- and he told me that he would love to come out. We talked.
He told me about a fall on the ice that he had that had wrecked some discs in his neck causing his hands to go numb. While listening to this story, my heart was moved.

Piano Man's passion is playing the piano. Not to be able to play?
Holy Spirit quoted, "He was moved with compassion and healed them."

We set a time. We were disconnected when his phone went dead.
I was excited.
He didn't show. I tried calling - but couldn't get through.
He called me.

We set another time.
He came out.
He looked at Maestro, for that is his name, and determined him to be in excellent shape for his age. He had some spare parts in his garage from restoring old pianos. Maestro would be good to go.

He told me again about his neck. I told him, "I've been wanting to pray over you."
My big kids and I gathered around him and prayed.
We decreed life!
The presence of God fell on him. He could feel the warmth of the healing touch.
I'm just giggly with God.
We got to a point where it was good to stop praying and he went back to work.
He told Mini-Me, that he and the piano might just be healed at the same time.
*giggle*

HOPE!!!!

Late,r as we chatted about family, He would flex his fingers. Move his shoulders, Testing the motion. I watched, fully expecting him to be healed. I believe it was God's timing that this all took place - because it's about Hope. and Hope for HIS glory.

He brought the spare parts today -- and some glue.
He told me that he was doing some work over the weekend and could feel his tools in his hands, where before he could not.

*Squeal of glee*

We prayed over him again. Decreed a finisher's anointing that he would be completely healed.
God spoke a word over him -- a word of HOPE!

It is such a sweet, sweet thing, this hope.

It's HOPE --- all for His glory.
Hope to draw people unto Himself.
Hope - just so He can show Himself faithful and true.
Hope - because, I really think, He likes to show off.

Hope.
I am sooo thankful for Grace, but I'm beginning to cherish Hope.
Because today in my living room, God gave my Piano Man Hope.