As I sang along with Dolly Parton, and other YouTube videos of JOY TO THE WORLD, I was suddenly caught up in the words “far as the curse is found.” Some renditions, such as Parton’s, leave this phrase out, but others include it. I am comforted by the lyrics that Christ Jesus rules the world with truth and grace; he defeats the curse of sin and death. This verse of the song reminds me of Bible verses I love—

“Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast. ~Psalm139:7-10

The words from Psalms remind me that wherever there is man, wherever there is good or evil, the Lord is with us in every situation. Wherever the curse of evil works it’s way in, the Holy Spirit can cast it out. There is nothing too hard for the Lord God Almighty ‘who was, and is, and is to come.’

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” ~Revelation 1:8

JOY TO THE WORLD BY ISAAC WATTS

Joy to the World; the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King!
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields & floods, rocks, hills & plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
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.