“And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.’ ” Luke 2:10-11 (KJV)

I can only imagine the morale of God’s people in the days preceding Jesus’ birth. 

Thoughts like… God, have You abandoned Your people? Where is our promised Messiah?… surely crossed their minds.

See, God had been quiet for a mighty long time since the close of the Old Testament — at least 400 years to be exact without a word, peep, or utterance through His prophets to His people. 

So when the angel of the Lord stood before them announcing the birth of the Messiah as good tidings of great joy and where to find Him, I’m sure the shepherds were rejoicing with gladness in their hearts. 

The long awaited King, born to save His people was finally bringing joy to the world just like the famous carol we sing. 

But the joy of Christ’s birth and receiving Him as Savior is only the beginning of the real joy God intends for His people. 

There are six simple words in our beloved Christmas carol, Joy to the World, that I’ve sang over and over through the years but this Christmas season have stood out on their own:

“Let every heart prepare Him room”

Truth is, I haven’t always prepared Him room in my heart. Living life in this world with all its busyness and distractions, problems and difficulties, can crowd our Savior out faster than we want to admit. And before we know it, we find ourselves lacking real joy in our life. 

But joy is a gift from God, a fruit of His Spirit, and He desires us to have it. 

He knows we’re not always going to have joyous moments, but He longs for our faith to trust that He’s got our lives in the middle of His hands working it out for the good of His kingdom. 

And as I have deepened my relationship with God realizing this truth, He has deepened the joy living inside of me. 

Friend, there’s a reason the enemy finds our joy worth stealing. And maybe you’ve lost it. Maybe your morale is down in the dumps too. But there’s a way you can steal it back. 

But how?

When we prepare Him room in our hearts, He cultivates the fruit of joy in our lives. 

The more and more time we spend with Jesus, the more and more we will feel His joy even in unjoyful circumstances.

And I don’t know about you but I want to live here on earth with the joy of Jesus.

The kind of joy that sent shepherds hurrying from their flock to find the manger. (Luke 2:15-16) 

The kind of joy that prompted the woman at the well to drop her water pots and run to town proclaiming Christ to the townspeople. (John 4:28-29)

The kind of joy allowing Paul to write an epistle from prison and exclaim to rejoice in the Lord always! (Philip. 4:4)

The kind of joy springing Peter from the boat and into the water as he raced to His Lord standing on the shore after the resurrection. (John 21:7)

The kind of joy James asks us to count when we’re going through the troubles and trials of this life. (James 1:2)

And the very same kind of joy that Peter describes as unspeakable and inexpressible when we're being tested. (1 Peter 1:7-8)

Are you living as a Christian yet struggling to live with real joy this Christmas season? Have you neglected to prepare Him room in your heart?

Friend, through your hope, faith, and spending time with Jesus daily you too can have joy again! And it will bring you to the inner peace that surpasses all understanding that we learned about last week.

Think back to what made you lose your joy. Now think about what are you willing to do to get it back.

Like the shepherds, what duty are you willing to briefly leave to go find the Savior?

Like the woman at the well, what heavy loads of shame are you willing to drop and run again with excitement for Jesus?

Like Peter and his fishing, have you turned back to that one comfortable thing you knew before Christ because you feel like God has abandoned and disappointed you?

Friend, I know and God knows we all walk in this life with joyless times and situations. But we can chase down joy through Jesus and find it again. He’s always ready and waiting to light the candle of joy in our hearts. 

Not just for the Christmas season, not just when it feels good or when everything is smooth and tidy — no — real joy can be found in the messy, the untidy, and the difficult times too. 

Real joy is when you can look at your life and see something greater at work. It’s thanking God for the tough times too and waiting to see how He’s gonna work a miracle through what you’re enduring.

I finally found real joy when I allowed the sorrows of my life to prepare more room for Jesus.

Friend, He’s not abandoned you. He is the God of His Word and Promises. He is still speaking through His Word, through His creation, and through the experiences in your life. And if you’ve lost your joy, He’s waiting to bring it back into your life today.

Dear heavenly Father, I pray for my friend who has lost the joy You have for her. Help her find it again Lord in You. And I pray that we all prepare room for Jesus in our hearts every single day. I praise and thank You God that through Your Son, we can feel real authentic joy. In Jesus' name, Amen.