The Wonders of His Love

"Joy to the World" (Isaac Watts)

"Joy to the world, the Lord has 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.

"No more let sins or 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, and wonders, of His love."

Dear friend,

     I found myself singing "and wonders, and wonders, of His love" this morning multiple times. What are the wonders of His love? Well, that is a question with a ton of answers! Let's consider some that are mentioned in this song, and perhaps we'll come back and consider more on another occasion:

The Lord has come: God, the eternal, all-powerful, sovereign, holy God, stepped into earth. Why? 

  "Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, He has spoken to us through His Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son He created the universe. The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command. When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave Him is greater than their names." (Hebrews 1:1-4)

He dwells with us and in us. How can that be?

"If you love Me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn't looking for Him and doesn't recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans--I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me. And because they love Me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal Myself to each of them." (John 14:15-21)

The Savior reigns: His death wasn't the end but the beginning. He is both Savior and King. What does that mean for us?

"What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since He did not even spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won't He also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? No one--for God Himself has given us right standing with Himself. Who then will condemn us? No one--for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us." (Romans 8:31-34)

Sin and sorrow no longer can grow uncontrolled. Jesus' death breaks the curse and reverses death. Death is not the final victor. What will happen in the end? 

"I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, 'Look, God's home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.' And the One sitting on the throne said, 'Look, I am making everything new!' And then He said to me, 'Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.' And He also said, 'It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega--the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be My children'." (Romans 21:3-7)

The Lord rules with truth and grace. He is not a capricious God, given to fits of anger and violence. How do we know this?

"Let the sea and everything in it shout His praise! Let the earth and all living things join in. Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness." (Psalm 98:7-9)

In the end, all will declare His righteousness. Some may slander or revile Him now, but in the end, He will be acknowledged as the Righteous and Holy One. Who will declare this?

"Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the Name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)

     What a joy and a privilege to sing of the "wonders of His love"!

There are tons of renditions of "Joy to the World" on YouTube!

• Christmas is a terrific time to pause and consider the "wonders of His love". What "wonders" can you list?
• How can/should we respond to God because of His wonders?