Monday Morning Encouragement -- Joy To The World

"Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises." Psalm 98:4

As we enter the Advent season this year, I thought it would be interesting to consider a familiar Christmas Hymn each week leading up to Christmas, and explore the story behind it. Today we'll look at Joy To The World.

Isaac Watts composed Joy To the World in 1719. Credited with writing over 700 hymns for the church, Watts wrote the beloved Christmas hymn after meditating on Psalm 98. In particular, he pondered verse four and the true reason for "joyous song and praise": the coming of Jesus, our Savior. As Psalm 98 is a psalm about Jesus' second coming (judgment pronounced in verse 9) the hymn, which Watts initially wrote as a poem, wasn't intended as a Christmas song. 

Nevertheless, it is an appropriate song to celebrate Christ's incarnation, as His birth and ministry on earth brought great joy to many people. 

Today the joy continues and will be complete in His return!

1. Joy to the world; the Lord is come;

Let Earth receive her King;

Let ev'ry Heart prepare him room,

And Heav'n and nature sing.

2. Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns,

Let men their Songs employ,

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,

Repeat the sounding joy.

3. No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make his blessings flow

Far as the curse is found.

4. He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of his righteousness,

And wonders of his love.

The music video I've chosen to share is a modern arrangement of the classic Christmas hymn Joy To The World with lyrics from the album and devotional, "The Soul Felt Its Worth". Arranged and Recorded by Nathan Drake; Written by Ri­chard S. Wil­lis, 1850.

I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.