To Him “who loves us and has freed us from our sins” (Rev. 1:5 ESV),
You’ve come, Lord and King Jesus!
Joy to the world! The Lord is come:
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Lk. 2:11 ESV).
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Lk. 19:10 ESV).
let earth receive her King…
The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad! (Ps. 97:1 ESV)
let every heart prepare him room,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Phil. 2:10 ESV).
and heav’n and nature sing,
let the field exult, and everything in it! (Ps. 96:12 ESV)
and heav’n and nature sing,
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy (Ps. 96:12 ESV, emphasis added)!
and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
(“Joy to the World,” Watts, I., 1719)
You reign, enthroned Lord and King Jesus!
Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns:
But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions” (Heb. 1:8-9 ESV).
let men their songs employ…
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness (Ps. 29:2 ESV).
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains…
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now (Rom. 8:22 ESV)…
repeat the sounding joy,
Though you have not seen him, you love him.
Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory (1 Pet. 1:8 ESV).
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy!
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain
gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Is. 51:11 ESV)!
You’ve given us hope in our painful Christmas, Lord and King Jesus!
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground…
And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:17-19 ESV).
He comes to make his blessings flow…
And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s (Adam’s) sin.
For the judgment following (Adam’s) trespass brought condemnation,
but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.
For if, because of one man’s (Adam’s) trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who
receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness
reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:16-17 ESV)!
far as the curse is found,
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test
he will receive the crown of life,
which God has promised to those who love him (Jas. 1:12 ESV).
far as the curse is found,
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who dwell in it!
Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD,
for he comes
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity (Ps. 98:7-9 ESV, emphasis added)…
far as, far as the curse is found.
“For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind” (Is. 65:17 ESV).
“The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,”
says the LORD (Is. 65:25 ESV).
Help us to sing of Your wondrous and glorious love story in our painful Christmas, Lord and King Jesus
He rules the world with truth and grace,
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (Jn. 1:17 ESV).
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness…
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him (Rev. 22:3 ESV)!
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth
comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rom. 8:18 ESV).
and wonders, wonders of his love!
I love you, O LORD, my strength (Ps. 18:1 ESV)!
Amen.
A music therapy-inspired worship music playlist gift for our painful Christmas, following these themes, singing of our joy and hope in Christ
And this week? Might a music therapy-inspired playlist gift for subscribers be one that helps us to sing of our joy and hope in Christ? Sing to our glorious, reigning, and returning King as we sing of His love? Glorify and exalt Him in wonder that we belong to Jesus, as we worship Him in this year’s painful Christmas? And perhaps, our also feeling better as a result of the music’s inherent healing properties, because our Creator designed music to uniquely bring relief to our bodies, emotions, and thoughts?
I’m praying that He will enable each of us to do so, into our tears, sorrows, pain-full effects of sin in this groaning world. Let’s turn our eyes upon Jesus as we sing, our Lord, our Savior, our King. Have a beautiful and blessed Christmas, fellow suffering sister in Christ.
If the playlist (or any other resources below) might be His gift to you in this painful Christmas, sign up today, and it will come to your email with my love and prayers.
To read more of Lauri’s writing, you can use her devotional Bible study lament prayer journals: Praying God’s Promises Into Suffering, or Near to God: A Devotional Bible Study of God’s Character as We Suffer, or Singing the Gospel to Job: Finding Hope in Suffering. In the Valleys of God’s Love is written for children aged 3-8, a perfect read for grandparents, parents, and children to share together, preparing them for suffering to come.
For Scripture devotionals, calming hymns, and encouragement from Lauri, click here for YouTube channel
Here’s a symptom-easing podcast of Scripture and hymns for our illnesses and the insomnia it brings (and yes, chronic pain!)
