One of my top five favorite Christmas songs is “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee.” I see the entire song as a prayer, a prayer bursting forth with great joy. Why? Because we make a shift from ourselves to focusing on God.
When struggling with sadness, sinfulness, grief or even depression, this prayerful song says, “Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away. Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!”
Because of Jesus, and his life-saving mission at Christmas, we can experience joy in the midst of chaos and pain as we take our focus off our circumstances and adore the marvelous miracle of Christmas as found in Jesus Christ.
Joy and adoration are linked together in a very special way, and when we seek to adore the Lord, we can be filled with a joyous attitude of the heart and mind from God, that melts the clouds of loss and grief, the pain of our sin, any chaos and suffering.
With this joy filling us from God, the dark clouds are driven away, illuminating our hearts and minds to the light of God in a very special way.
Christmas reminds us of why that is so important, and we are as privileged in being called to adore Jesus today as were Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and Magi. For today, Jesus continues his incarnation on earth. Here, Jesus gives his comfort and joy to us in love and abundance.
When we adore and praise God for who God is, his joy fills our lives in transformative ways. Spending time in adoration of God, it draws us into intimacy with him. And as we get closer to him, he gives us the wisdom and strength to serve his church and the people he has placed in our lives.
Psalm 16:11 says, “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.” When God sent his son into the world to be Immanuel, God with us, he did just as he promised in Psalm 16 – by showing us the way toward joyful adoration of the Lord and what it will cultivate in our lives: the way, the truth, and the life – JESUS!
When we know Jesus as our Lord and savior, we know his peace, his protection, and we can follow him and his plans for our lives. But there will be much of this world that will seek to rob us of this pursuit. Sin is awful and it will deceive and destroy.
Confess your sins to your gracious and loving Heavenly Father, for he hears you, and he will receive you. Place your faith in our loving Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, who came that first Christmas as a baby to bring to this world salvation.
May you come to know Jesus as your savior and Lord, and joyfully serve and praise him with all that you have. For you cannot have joy without praise, and it’s impossible to praise God without feeling joy. It’s in the moments we take our eyes off of ourselves and place them on the Lord that we experience joy.
May you this Christmas, seek to adore and praise God even when the darkest nights fall upon you, taking yourself straight into the throne room of God - for he is faithful! And he will show you where to walk and how to follow him in this season. Merry Christmas!
Nick Emery is lead pastor at Hope Crossing Community Church.