joy to the world

For the next few days (until Christmas!) I want to write about different Christmas "keywords"...
One of my favorite words is JOY.

Joy is fulfilling and satisfying. It is calm and quiet and content. I always thought "joy" meant being bouncy and having a constant toothy grin on your face. Nope.
It is hard and painful at times but it brings peace. You know, the type that surpasses all understanding.

To me (and I'm not sure how this works out theologically... we're talking personal thoughts here), joy is a reminder of God's presence. We can rejoice and be glad because He will bring us through the trial. Joy is increased in the presence of God - spending time seeking Him and reading His word. The closer we keep our God to us the more joy we should experience because we realize Him in the middle of our circumstances. I think of the first Christmas and the scary things that were going on in the middle of it (There were so many odd things that would have completely freaked me out if they had happened to me - angels appearing, Mary getting pregnant, Joseph's confusion, no room in the inn, Herod...) and the joy right in the middle of it. Joy existed before the birth of Christ since He was God all along but it really manifested itself in Jesus and it has only grown since His birth and death on the cross.

God is just so FULL of joy! I like these verses that illustrate JOY even in rather confusing situations:

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Matthew 2:10

And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy... Luke 24:52

And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. Matthew 28:8

The truth in the carol "Joy to the World" gets me every time. Read these words!

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.

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

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,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Joy to the World :)