The third candle of Advent is called JOY, yet the joy it represents was never meant to be limited to a single candle or a single season. The joy of Jesus Christ is not confined to December. It is meant to be lived, carried, and proclaimed every day of the year.
When Christ entered the world, joy entered with Him, not as fleeting happiness, but as holy assurance. The angel declared to the shepherds, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10). That joy was not momentary. It was eternal, because it was anchored in the Savior Himself.
Biblical joy does not depend on comfort or calm circumstances. It rests in the unchanging nature of God. Jesus did not come to remove every hardship immediately, but to redeem us fully and forever. As Nehemiah reminds us, “The joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Strength that lasts cannot be seasonal.
The world offers its own versions of joy, but they are often fleeting. They sparkle for a moment and then fade just as quickly. A purchase brings excitement until the novelty wears off. Good news lifts the spirit until the next challenge arrives. Even celebrations, as meaningful as they may be, eventually come to an end. These joys are not wrong, but they are fragile. They depend heavily on circumstances, and circumstances are always changing.
It remains even in sorrow, because Christ remains. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). That morning ultimately dawned when the Light of the world stepped into darkness, and it continues to dawn in every heart that trusts Him as their Savior.
Have you ever noticed that when you’re feeling distressed about a situation, you often wake up the next morning with a whole new perspective? What weighed heavily on the heart the night before may still be present, but it no longer feels quite as overpowering. The sharp edges soften. The mind clears. Hope quietly returns. There is joy hidden in that moment, even if we do not recognize it immediately.
Night time has a way of magnifying our fears. In the stillness, unanswered questions echo louder, and uncertainty feels closer. Yet morning arrives faithfully, just as God ordained it to do. Though tears may fall uncontrollably, light breaks through the darkness, reminding us that the night did not win. This daily rhythm is one of God’s gentle mercies, and within it is a quiet invitation to joy.
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). This is not a promise that sorrow will vanish overnight, but a declaration that sorrow does not have the final word. Joy is not denied by the presence of grief; it is strengthened by the assurance that God remains with us through it.
The joy that comes in the morning is not always loud or exuberant. Often, it arrives as peace. It is the calm recognition that we are still held, still seen, still loved. It is the awareness that God was working even while we slept, tending to matters we could not fix and carrying burdens we were never meant to bear alone.
There is joy in the simple act of rest. When we sleep, we surrender control, all be it sometimes reluctantly, sometimes in exhaustion. Yet the Lord invites us into that surrender. “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). The joy of the morning is born from the truth that we were guarded through the night by a faithful God.
Each new morning is also a testimony of God’s enduring grace. “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed… they are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23). New mercies mean renewed joy, not because circumstances have necessarily changed, but because God’s faithfulness has not.
This is the kind of joy the world cannot give and cannot take away. It is not dependent on outcomes or ease. It is rooted in the unchanging character of God and the finished work of Jesus Christ. Just as Advent reminds us that light came into the world, every morning reminds us that light still comes.
When we wake with a renewed perspective, we experience a glimpse of that joy—a joy that reassures us that God is still present, still working, and still worthy of our trust. It is a quiet celebration of grace, a daily echo of the greater joy we have in Christ.
Joy is not something we manufacture. It is something we receive. It is a gift of grace and a fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” (Galatians 5:22). Because the Spirit abides with believers every day, joy is always within reach regardless of the calendar.
Advent reminds us to anticipate, but also to rejoice. And that rejoicing does not end when the decorations and the wreath are put away. We rejoice in His birth, yes, but also in His sinless life, His finished work on the cross, His victorious resurrection, and His promised return.
Jesus Christ did not come for a moment in history alone. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). Because He remains, joy remains.
May we live as people who testify through every season that the greatest gift ever given, Jesus-Yeshua, still fills hearts with joy, not just at Advent, but always.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for loving us first and for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to rest in the joy of His love and to bask in the assurance that we are held by Your grace. Fill our hearts with a joy that remains, rooted not in the world, but in Christ alone. May we walk each day confident in Your unfailing love.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen. (1 John 4:19)
Jesus ~ Amazing Grace! 