I grew up in a Southern Baptist church. My father was a pastor and we were blessed to be raised in the faith from our birth. There are many things I love about Southern Baptist life. And there are some things that are just funny memories. Like always singing the 1st, 2nd and final stanza of various hymns.
Always.
And so, I will never forget being in church on Christmas eve a few years ago. Our church here has a Christmas eve service (not something with which I grew up) and it is always sweet.
This particular evening we sang an old favorite of mine: Joy to the World. Only this night, we sang all of the verses. And I do believe I heard the 4th verse for the first time in my life.
And I wept. This verse gripped me with meaning. We were in the midst of a difficult period with hidden disability. It was taking us to difficult places that were hard to walk. I felt stretched beyond measure and did not feel much “joy to the world” happening at that moment.
And I sang this from the 4th verse: “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.”
And I stood weeping like a baby.
That is what Christ did. He came to a fallen world, touched by sin and brokenness and disability. And He made His blessings flow.
He is sufficient for every need. His blessings flow most sweetly where they are most needed. And don’t our families living with disability so desperately need His blessings?
I still get all teary when I remember that night. And He is STILL here, Immanuel, to make His blessings flow wherever we find the curse and its ramifications.
I praise Him for this. I humbly bow in recognition of this gracious King. What a marvelous God we serve.
Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6) He is all that and more.
So for any others who grew up in a tradition where you did not sing all the verses, here is the full text to Joy to the World.
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.Joy to 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 and wonders of His loveNo 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.Rejoice! Rejoice in the Most High,
While Israel spreads abroad
Like stars that glitter in the sky,
And ever worship God,
And ever worship God,
And ever, and ever worship God.1719 Isaac Watts
Grateful for God’s presence and blessings,
~Shannon
Shannon Royce
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