JOY TO THE WORLD

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

Isaac Watts

George Frederick Handel

When our son, Jeffrey, was little he would sing, “and hammanamma nature sing,” which made the song even more joyful to his parents and older sister. He, of course, caught the real essence of the song most accurately. It wasn’t about lyrical precision but rather about the spirit of joy, and he sang it with great gusto and joy!

In 1719, Isaac Watts published a unique hymnal in which he paraphrased the Old Testament Psalms through the eyes of New Testament faith. He simply called it, The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament.

He said, “I have rather expressed myself as I may suppose David would have done if he lived in the days of Christianity.” He went on to say, “By this means, perhaps I have sometimes hit upon the true intent of the Spirit of God in those verses farther and clearer than David himself could ever discover.”

For such statements and for such an undertaking he endured much and great criticism from many quarters. Joy To the World is Watts’ interpretation of Psalm 98, which says, “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.” Isaac and Jeffrey seem to come to a similar conclusion: it’s more about the spirit than the mechanics; more about the music than the method.

Julie Andrews, portraying Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, sang, “The hills are alive with the sound of music.” Scientists would scoff, intellectuals would mock, but scripture proclaims, “Shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth,” and “all of nature declares that He is God.”

It is in this realm that the true spirit of Christmas seems to suffer most. Christmas has become so much about what is not joyful: crowds, shopping, traffic, hectic schedules, financial pressures, and on and on it goes… instead of hammanamma nature sings!

We all carry into this Christmas season the realities of life in a fallen world. We deal with sickness, mourn the loss of loved ones, and struggle in the realm of finances due to an ever deteriorating economy. Many of us have realized in this past year the truth of Christ’s statement, “Each day will have enough trouble of its own,” but none of these things can separate us from the love of Christ!

No more let sin and sorrow grow

Nor thorns infest the ground

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found

Far as the curse is found

Far as the curse is found

Remember this season as you ponder what gifts to give to those you love, He also has thought of what blessings to give to you and His ways are high above our ways. This is not only to be a season of joy but we are to live a life of joy in the reality of our redemption and the sure hope of Heaven’s home.

Just this morning I read David Wilkerson’s daily devotional and it reads as follows:

“God desires that we be so convinced of His tender love, so persuaded He is at work bringing us into His best, that we will have continual joy and gladness in our walk with Him! Moses warned Israel, “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of all things” (Deuteronomy 28:47-48).

God is saying to us today, “Be glad and rejoice in what I have already done for you! If you go around moping, murmuring and complaining, you will forever be spiritually starved and naked, a prey to your enemies!” God wants us to trust in His love for us so that we will be testimonies of gladness and good cheer!

We must, in the midst of all the aspects of our lives, embrace joy and sing Joy to the World!

In Christ,

Dallas Holm

P.S. We have such a love and appreciation for all of you who stand with us in this ministry. Some of you have been with us for many years, some are just coming on board, but all are valued beyond words. Continue to remember us in your prayers and please consider a special year end gift to help us hit the New Year running! Have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year. God bless you!

(History of Isaac Watts and Joy to the Word taken from “Then Sings My Soul” Book 2, Robert Morgan)