Joyful, joyful,
Lord we adore Thee, God of glory Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like
flow'rs before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of
sin and sadness; Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal
gladness fills us with the light of day!
All Thy works with
joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays;
Stars and angels
sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest,
vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and
flowing fountain, call us to rejoice in Thee.
Thou art giving
and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest,
Wellspring of the
joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father,
Christ our brother, all who live in love are Thine.
Teach us how to
love each other; lift us to the joy divine.
Mortals join the
happy chorus, which the Morning Stars began.
Father love is
reigning o'er us; brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing,
march we onward, victors in the midst of strife;
Joyful music lifts
us sunward, in the triumph song of life.
As we reflect on the lyrics to
this timeless song, we are brought back to the essence of our faith:
joy. We often think that joy is dependant on circumstances. The
words to this song remind us that joy comes despite what is going on
in the here and now and draws us to a God of Love, who gives us
“immortal gladness.”
Just imagine with me
“unfolding like a flower” and giving God the focus that a flower has
when it blooms in the sun. Our hearts unfold to the “Son” that is
the Son of God, the Savior of our souls.
You
turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed
me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O
LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Ps 30:11-12
God has delivered us from an
awful state. He is a “forgiving” God who is for us and loves us
more than we can imagine. God has given us new life, a 180 degree
transformation, once and for all time; my soul must sing to Him and
not be silent.
The 3rd stanza
pulls us back again to love, but a very specific kind of love:
brotherly love. “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live
together in unity!” Ps. 133:1. A “divine joy” comes when we choose
to love each other no matter what happens!!!! Lord, teach us how to
love each other…
My favorite part…we can sing
because we have the victory in Jesus Christ. The battle has already
been won. We are victors in the midst of strife. “In this world
you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”
John 16:33. The question that we face is how did Christ overcome
the world? Through suffering and suffering and more suffering…all
the way to the cross.
One final question: Is your
life a song of praise to God? Can you say that though you have not
done everything perfectly, you are going after God with all your
heart? What will your song of life sound like? Will it be a song
of joy or of disappointment?
Joy is the attitude of the
heart!
Paul Braddy
