Joy to the World

I don’t know if you know the story of Isaac Watts. When he was born, his father was in prison for his stand against the Church of England. Isaac himself was a sickly child who continued to be a rather sickly adult. Apparently, his illness caused him to have an unsightly appearance. He was only 5 feet tall with almost transparent skin and a disproportionately oversized head. Some of his biographers believe this was the reason for Elizabeth Singer’s rejection of his marriage proposal.

Of course, all of this took its toll on his personal life. In fact, at age 28 he began to suffer from a psychiatric illness that stayed with him for the rest of his life.

Despite all of this, Isaac Watts had a deep faith and unbridled spirit. And, he was one of the most prolific hymn writers of all time. Among many others, he wrote: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross and O God Our Help in Ages Past. During the Christmas season, we often sing one of my favorites, Joy to the World. I leave you today with a few verses of this song as our closing prayer.

Let us pray:

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
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.

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… Amen.