How many times this Christmas season have you heard the carol “Joy to the World, the Lord is Come!” sung or played. It is one of the most popular and beloved Christmas carols of all time. And how appropriate that it should be! Because Yeshua came to earth and dwelt among us, we can have “joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). This is a precious gift that He has granted to each of His followers when we received Him into our hearts.
But do you often feel like your Christmas joy is lagging when you are stuck in traffic or sick with a cold or berated by your boss or fellow co-worker or simply exhausted at the end of a very long day? Have you ever found yourself in a grumpy mood and said, “I am sick of hearing this song “Joy to the World”! It is easy to get bogged down in the mundane routines of life and become depressed or unenthused in the celebrations of the season. And you would not be alone. There are millions of people right now groping about, searching for joy and not finding it.
When I was young, I was impacted by a short movie called “The Music Box” about a tired and despondent and depressed man who was given a special gift of a music box. The melody in the box brought great joy to his heart. At first, he would hide in the bathroom to listen to the sweet music. He did not want to share his gift…he did not want people to think he was crazy with joy. But an angel came and told him that the gift was meant to be shared. So he showed it to his wife, and she felt the joy. Then he invited his neighbors over to hear the music and they felt the joy. Soon, his entire neighborhood was dancing with great joy. Because of one small gift that the man shared, there was enough joy to go around for everyone.
I thought about that movie when I read this passage in Isaiah 42:14-17,
“I have held My peace a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once…I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them. They shall be turned back…”
The Lord cannot restrain Himself any longer to see lost people blindly groping for answers to their problems, futilely seeking joy in all the wrong places. They are weary and despondent and depressed. But He has given you a wonderful gift of His joy and love that He wants you to share with others. He is impatient to bring back as many lost sheep as He can, but He needs our help to reach out and share the sweet music that He fills our hearts with.
Start with your family. Move on to your friends and neighbors and coworkers. His light shining through you will open their blind eyes and show them the right path to God, a path they may have not found or even seen before. You are God’s instrument (His music box) to bring joy to those He desperately wants to save!
So, the next time you hear the music of “Joy to the World” begin playing (no matter where you are), use that as an impetus to share the joy that the Lord has put in your heart with someone else close by. Don’t hold your peace any longer; don’t restrain yourself! The Lord will come into the moment and make the path to Him clear and bright and straight for all those around you searching for joy.
P.S. If you would like to see the 30-minute movie “The Music Box”, here is a link: Music Box (1980) | Full Movie | J. Neil Boyle | James F. Robinson