Advent Day 5

Thursday, December 5th

“Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.” - Psalm98:7-9 (NIV)

Psalm 98 bursts with joy, calling for shouts and song and blaring instruments, all celebrating together that God has come. Even the mountains, rivers, and seas join in the new song that extols the coming of justice and rescue. A beloved Christmas carol, “Joy to the World,” bases its

lyrics on this psalm. Isaac Watts wrote this poem in 1719 as an answer to a challenge. He had been complaining to his father that singing the psalms in church didn’t reflect the joy of what Christians knew about Jesus, so his father challenged his son to do something about it. And he did.

Watts published a set of poems based on the psalms. His poem was set to music by the German-British composer George Fredrick Handel, and it is in the familiar tune we still sing today. Watts’ words burst with confidence because, as the final verse says of this new King, “he rules the world with truth and grace.” Advent looks toward this with excitement—the promise that the world will be restored and everyone in it with God’s truth and grace at the helm. Now that’s something to look forward to.

O God, may our world be restored with Your truth and grace, and allow me to be active in bringing this restoration to pass. Amen.