The Advent of Christ - Joy Unexpected

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12

This past week, our family had a BIG reason for joyful celebration: Our daughter, Hannah, became engaged to her boyfriend, Gabe! So much uncontainable joy that I could hardly wait to share! Hannah and Gabe’s joy was even more evident. Smiles, tears, laughter…. joy that was tangibly bubbling over.

This is often how we picture joy, isn’t it? That feeling of intense happiness and contentment, great delight, and keen elation that just naturally bubbles over because of the circumstances of our lives.

But sometimes joy is a hard-fought-for battle. Joy can be difficult to find in the grit and grime of everyday life, where one day just runs into the next with nothing especially exciting or delightful occurring. Joy can be challenging in the depths of our hardest pain and most brutal sufferings or profoundly disappointing and discouraging situations.

In those seasons, joy has to be mined for like costly diamonds because it’s hidden in unexpected places like:
The death of a loved one.
Serious health concerns.
Difficult relationships.
Parenting struggles.
Financial hardships.
Job conflicts.

This is the kind of joy that doesn’t make sense to a watching world. Joy at a marriage proposal is logical, but joy in the midst of life’s hard and heavy things seems impossible and unreasonable. How do Christ-followers find deep, enduring happiness and contentment when things are falling apart around them? How can we be assured of obtaining that sense of joy when we suddenly face difficult situations and life circumstances?

We can learn a lesson from the writer of the hymn, O Come, All Ye Faithful: John Francis Wade lived in eighteenth-century England when many Christians faced severe persecution for their faith. Wade was forced to flee to France, leaving behind his home and family in search of a new life and fresh hope. It would be easy to believe at first glance that he wrote this hymn that says, “O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!” during a holiday season full of celebration and gladness. But instead, it was written from a place of deep loss and brokenness. Written by a man uncertain of what his future held, who had sustained great losses in the pursuit of his faith, yet he composed a bold and unashamed declaration that in Christ’s coming there is, in fact, joy….even for the hurting. There is triumph…even for those who seem to be losing the battle for joy.

The truth is that as His followers, we can experience joy no matter what we encounter in life because God is a God of joy who delights to delight us!

He longs to fill our hearts with a joy so profound it heals hearts that are crushed and downcast. He speaks things to us like, “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” (Isaiah 55:12). When we turn to Jesus, listen to Him, read His Word and obey it, He does a work in us where joy and peace are the result. A joy so great that even the mountains, hills, and trees join in rejoicing with us!

Over the years, I’ve come to discover that there is a true and precious joy that exists where I least expect it….in the deep grief, hard struggles, and common ordinary duties of my days. Because joy doesn’t exist in my circumstances but is found in Christ. Christmas reminds us that joy can be found in the unexpected nooks and crannies of lives that are often hard, messy, and broken because He came at the first Advent to save us and will return at the second Advent to restore us. This is a beautiful reason for joy in all the unexpected seasons of our lives.