Joy to the world! will flow from the lips of worshippers across the world this week. Yet how many are thinking? “Yea, sure! What do I have to be joyful about—we can’t gather as a family, lost my job, must wear this stupid mask, blab, blab, blab?” But don’t stumble on the first half of the stanza before you consider the second line, which gives the reason we can experience joy—the Lord is come. This beloved hymn came from Isaac Watts as a paraphrase of Psalm 98:4-9 & 96:11, 12 in 1719, but he never intended it to become a hymn much less a Christmas carol. However, God’s providence over the next 129 years brought about its ultimate purpose. Two other collaborators, George Frideric Handel, and Lowell Mason from Watt’s words composed the hymn we sing today.
You might say, “I’m not a hypocrite. How can I honestly sing this when I’m so unhappy?” Here lies the problem. Happy and joy aren’t synonymous. It doesn’t say happiness to the world. Happy originally meant ‘lucky’. Through the centuries it evolved to mean a pleasing mental state resulting from something pleasant taking place or happening, caused by good fortune, random occurrences, or worldly pleasures. So, if circumstances are favorable, you are happy; if not, you’re unhappy. Happiness is based on what is happening around us.
Joy, on the other hand, is based on what is happening within us. Happiness is external; joy is internal. The foundation of joy is our relationship with Christ. The Bible nowhere promises believers happiness but repeatedly offers joy. An example of joy amid unhappy circumstances comes from Paul in his letter to the Philippians. He wrote, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Phi 4:4). He used the word joy and rejoice 16 times in this letter. But note, where Paul was while writing this epistle. He was in prison in Rome. The church at Philippi was familiar with Paul being in jail. On their first visit, the chief magistrates arrested him and Silas. They beat and placed them in stocks for delivering a girl from demon possession. But even in these miserable unhappy conditions, Paul didn’t allow this to dampen his joy: About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God (Acts 16:25). The word for hymn means to celebrate and praise in song. Neither of these events was lucky circumstances that would bring happiness.
The first promise of joy came to the shepherds from the angel who announced Jesus’ birth. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people (Luk 2:10 NIV). Jesus in His ‘Farewell Discourse’ told the disciples, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full (Joh 15:11). He later tells them His joy is for the world: these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves (17:13). Note a few lessons from these verses. The things Jesus spoke became the Bible. So, knowing the Bible is a foundation of our joy. ‘That you may know’ is a passive verb. That means it is an act done to us and not something we produce.The phrase, ‘Joy made full’ has an application I never noticed before. This indicates we can have incomplete joy.
The devil is a thief and will try to rob you of your joy. He will use people and our circumstances to cloud our joy. But it is always there. Joy is not automatic and something we must choose and embrace. “Joy does not simply happen to us. We must choose joy and keep choosing it every day” (Henri Nouwen). The source of joy is Jesus in us, My joy may be in you. Until people receive Christ as their Savior, they have no joy. They can only experience happiness from world events. Joy comes through the Holy Spirit. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy. . . (Gal 5:22).
Nehemiah told the people repairing the wall of Jerusalem destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar; Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength (Neh 8:10). Joy sustained Jesus on the cross, not a time of happy conditions. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb 12:2). He looked beyond that unhappy moment and fixed His thoughts on the joy He would receive after the resurrection and through eternity with those who repent and accept the gift of His salvation.
My trips into countries where I ministered weren’t always happy experiences. Zambia where we lived for four years was difficult—food shortages, crime, government unrest under a dictator, road checks every six miles carried out by teenagers high on drugs brandishing automatic rifles, just to mention a few. During those unhappy times, we would remind ourselves, “We’re going home soon” and focus on the happiness we would have with our families. As believers, we are only temporary residents on earth, and we are going home soon.
Sustaining Word for the Week: Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy (Psa 96:11, 12).