Her Pen, His Purpose

Joy to the World is one of the most triumphant, bright, and familiar songs of the Christmas season. We hear it in stores, caroling choirs, Christmas Eve services, and playlists on repeat. But what we don’t realize is that it isn’t actually a song about the birth of Christ—

It’s a song about His Reign.

It’s a carol that doesn’t just celebrate that Jesus came, but that Jesus rules. And that truth, quietly tucked inside a melody we’ve known for most of our lives, changes everything.

A Psalm Before It Was A Carol

Joy to the World was written in 1719 by Issac Watts—not as a Christmas song, but as a poetic reinterpretation of Psalm 98, a psalm celebrating the Lord as the righteous King over all creation.

Psalm 98: 4-9 reads:
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness, and the people’s with equity.

Now let’s look at some of the lyrics of Isacc Watts’ Joy to the World:
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth recieve her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing.

Even in this short excerpt, the similarities are hard to miss. Psalm 98 calls the whole earth to sing before the Lord, and the carol echoes the same joy and celebration. Both the Scripture and the sound announce the arrival of a King, both inviting creation to respond in worship.

Now that we’ve seen the passage that shaped this carol, let’s turn to the lyrics and explore how this carol took on the message we know so well…

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!”

We sing this line as if announcing the manger scene, but the tense of the lyric is interesting in itself:

Not “the Lord has come”
but “the Lord is come.”

It’s written like a royal procession. Like a King is stepping into His kingdom in this very moment. It doesn’t just remember an event, it proclaims a reality.

The arrival of Jesus—whether as a baby in Bethlehem or as the returning King—shakes the heavens and earth. Psalm 98 (the pslam this hymn is based on) pictures the Lord coming with power, authority, and righteousness.

This line invites us to pause and see Christmas not just as a sweet nativity, but as the breaking in of God’s kingdom.

“Let earth recieve her King.”

Here the song moves from global to personal.

Scripture says:
“Behold, your King is coming to you.” — Zechariah 9:9

But it also asks the question:
Will you recieve Him?

Christmas is not simply about remembering a moment; it’s about welcoming a Person. Not just awknowledging a story, but bowing to a Sovereign.

And right here is where the carol overlaps with our own spiritual reality: Happiness is circumstantial; joy depends on the Lord. Happiness rises and falls with events. But joy roots itself in the truth that the King has come, is reigning now, and will come again.

Our joy anchored in the Kingdom cannot be shaken.

“Let every heart prepare Him room.”

This line echoes Luke 2:7—
There was no room for them at the inn.

The hymn turns that historical detail into a piercing question: Do we make room for Him now?

In our days? In our thoughts? In our worship? In our hurry? In the rush of December? In the places where we feel overwhelmed or distracted?

Preparing room isn’t about tidying up our lives. It’s about posture. It’s about opening our hearts to the One who first made room for us by stepping into humanity.

Scripture ties joy to this very thing:

• “In Your presence there is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11)
• “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)
• “Rejoice in the Lord always.” (Philippians 4:4)—not because life is easy, but because the Lord is near.

Joy is not passive. Joy is preparation. Joy is making room.

The joy of Christmas begins in the heart that makes space for Jesus, the One who made space for us in heaven by stepping into humanity.

“And heaven and nature sing.”

Three times the carol repeats this phrase, building like an echo through creation. And it’s not poetic exaggeration—it’s Scripture.

Romans 8 says that all creation is groaning for redemption.
Psalm 98 says rivers clap thier hands and the hills sing for joy.
Luke 19:40 says if people stay silent, the rocks themselves would cry out.

Creation itself responds to its rightful King.

When we worship at Christmas, we join a song that began before us and will continue long after we are gone.

“He rules the world with truth and grace.”

I like to think of this as the centerpiece of the whole carol—the opening line of the final verse.

Not: He will rule someday.
But: He rules—now. Presently, actively, sovereignly.

This is the gospel in a single line:

• His truth exposes darkness.
• His grace welcomes the broken.
• His rule brings freedom, not fear.
• His presence produces joy, not pressure.

Even in a world that feels fractured, even when our circumstances shift, the rule of Christ remains steady.

What “Joy to the World” Teaches Us

When we unwrap this carol, we discover:

• Christmas is about a King, not just a cradle.
• Joy is a response to His reign, not our circumstances.
• Worship is the natural echo of creation to its Maker.
• Our hearts are meant to prepare Him room daily.
• The gospel is both already and not yet—He came, and He is coming again.

This is why the world rejoices. This is why we sing.
Not because the season is perfect—but because our Savior is King.

A Closing Reflection

As you hear “Joy to the World” this Christmas—in stores, services, the car, or at home—let it become more than a familiar melody.

Let it be a reminder that the King has come, the King is here, and the King is returning.

Let heaven and nature sing and let your heart join the song!