Joy to the world! The Lord is come
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room.
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
There are so many great Christmas hymns. However, “Joy to the World,” has always had a special place in my heart. It was written by Isaac Watts in 1719. He was inspired to write the hymn by Psalm 98. Some of the words from the Psalm are, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth… make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy.” What a grand picture of delight. Watts must have been captivated by the thought of the world and everything in it ringing out shouts of praise at the news that God had come to dwell with men!
It is hard not to be swept up in the emotion of Psalm 98. It fills my heart with joy to think about Christ’s coming to rescue his bride and reconcile this broken world to himself. The wise men came from the East having heard of one who was called “King of the Jews.” When they came to the place where the star led them the Bible says, “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” They saw the face of a child who would be the Savior of the world. Their response was falling down before him in worship. I pray the Lord will fill you with the joy of the Lord by looking to Jesus Christ. Repent of your sin and know the child born of a Virgin, who came to take away the sins of the world. He died, was buried, and rose again to bring hope and joy to the world!
God Bless,
Jon Wiggins