God Ushers Joy

I. Introduction of Topic — Joy in a Barren World

I. Introduction of Topic — Joy in a Barren World

As we move through the season of Advent, the church does not rush toward joy—it walks toward it. We began with Hope, lighting a candle that reminded us God has made promises He intends to keep. Then we turned to Peace, not the absence of conflict, but the deep assurance that God has not abandoned His world, even when it feels unsettled.

Now, in this third week of Advent, we arrive at Joy—and it is important to notice that joy does not replace hope or peace. It grows out of them. Hope tells us God has spoken. Peace tells us God is present. Joy dares to say, God is already at work, even when the story is not finished yet.

Advent joy, then, is not the kind that waits for everything to be resolved. It is joy that lives in the middle—between promise and fulfillment, between what God has said and what God will finally complete. That is why the church places joy here, not at the end of the season. Joy is not the reward for arrival; it is the strength God gives us while we are still waiting.

This is precisely the kind of joy Isaiah proclaims. He speaks to people who are still in exile, still surrounded by loss and uncertainty, and yet he dares to cast a vision of rejoicing, restoration, and life returning where it once seemed impossible. Isaiah teaches us that joy is not denial—it is faith with imagination. It is trusting God’s future strongly enough to let it shape how we live in the present.

And to understand how that kind of joy works—joy that looks forward while standing in broken places—imagine driving past a massive construction site…

At first, all you can see is dirt—piles of soil, trenches, rebar, noise, dust, and chaos. But posted on the fence is a large billboard: a full-color rendering of what the finished project will one day be.

The picture shows gardens where you currently see gravel, tall trees where today there are only wooden stakes, and a completed building rising out of what is now a muddy hole.

The blueprint does not describe what is—it proclaims what will be. And yet it is not wishful thinking. The presence of cranes, workers, and concrete mixers tells you the future vision is already becoming a reality. Joy stands in the gap to give us strength as God works presently for our future promise.

Context

Isaiah 35 functions like God’s billboard posted on the construction site of a broken world. It is a holy rendering of the future God is already building. Isaiah gives us a list that feels like a tennis match back and forth from one extreme to its antitheses—desert to garden, weakness to strength, fear to courage, sorrow to everlasting joy. This prophetic vision is not fantasy; it is a promise in progress, grounded in the God who, as Psalm 146 declares, keeps faith forever.

Theological Framing of Joy

And this helps us understand why Isaiah dares to speak of joy so boldly. In Scripture, joy is never shallow happiness or forced cheer.

The Hebrew words Isaiah uses—gîl, śimḥâ, and śāśôn—point to something far deeper: joy that lives under tension, joy stretched tight with hope.

Gîl is a word of movement and trembling—joy that quivers like a body ready to leap, or like a bow drawn back, holding energy before release.

Isaiah speaks this joy not after the desert blooms, but while it is still dry; not after the weak are healed, but while they are still waiting. This is why joy belongs so profoundly to Advent.

Advent joy is not the absence of fear or struggle; it is faith pulled to readiness by promise. It trusts that God is already at work toward salvation, even when fulfillment has not yet arrived.

Isaiah, then, is teaching God’s people how to rejoice while the cranes are still up and the ground is still broken—because God has already committed Himself to finishing what He has begun.

Isaiah’s Vision of Reversal

Isaiah 35 offers a breathtaking vision of joy erupting where despair once ruled. The prophet traces a sweeping movement:

Anxiety → gladness (Isa 35:4)

Desert → garden (35:1–2)

Weakness → strength (35:3)

Fearful hearts → courageous ones (35:4)

Chaos → holiness (35:8)

Sorrow → everlasting joy (35:10)

Blindness → sight (35:5)

Deafness → hearing (35:5)

But what is this joy, and from where does it emerge? To answer that question, Isaiah calls us to see the world as God Himself is remaking it.

II. The Biblical Voice — What Isaiah Is Really Saying

A. Hearing Isaiah 35 with Open Ears

Isaiah is not giving us a technical prophecy or a coded message. He is painting a picture—a vision meant to help discouraged people see their future differently.

1. When the Desert Starts to Sing (vv. 1–2)

Isaiah begins with an image that would have sounded impossible to his audience: the wilderness rejoicing, the desert bursting into bloom.

The word Isaiah uses for “rejoice” is not quiet happiness—it is joy that spills over, joy that moves the body, joy that cannot stay contained. In other words, Isaiah is saying that places long marked by death and scarcity will one day respond to God with celebration.

When he names Lebanon, Carmel, and Sharon—lush, fertile regions—he is saying this: God’s presence will turn what is barren into something beautiful. This is not just about better crops; it is about God restoring life where none seemed possible.

2. Strength for Tired Hands and Shaking Knees (vv. 3–4)

Next, Isaiah turns from the land to the people.

“Strengthen the weak hands,” he says. “Steady the shaking knees.” This is the language of exhaustion and fear—people who are worn down by waiting.

But notice: Isaiah does not tell the people to find strength within themselves. He points them to God who is coming—coming to save, coming to set things right.

Even God’s “vengeance” here is not about revenge. It is about God confronting everything that has broken His people, and healing what sin and injustice have damaged.

3. A World Put Back Together (vv. 5–6)

Isaiah then describes a world where the blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame leap.

These are not random miracles. They are signs that God’s reign has arrived. Later, Jesus will point to these very images and say, to his cousin John The Baptist in prison: “This is how you know the kingdom of God is breaking in.”

When the lame “leap like a deer,” Isaiah is showing us joy restored to the body itself—life no longer limping, but moving freely again.

4. A Road Called Holiness (vv. 8–9)

Isaiah then introduces one of the most important images in the chapter: a highway.

This is not a road for the spiritually elite. It is a clear, safe way home for people who were once lost. Isaiah calls it “the Way of Holiness,” not because it is guarded by rules, but because God Himself makes the journey possible.

Holiness here is not about exclusion; it is about direction. God is making a way so His redeemed people do not wander anymore.

5. Joy That Rests on God’s People (v. 10)

Finally, Isaiah tells us where all of this is heading: joy.

This joy is described as something that rests upon the people, like a crown. It is not a mood they work up—it is a gift they receive.

Sorrow and sighing fade, not because life becomes easy, but because God has brought His people home. This joy is what restored life feels like.

B. Psalm 146 — Why This Joy Can Be Trusted

Psalm 146 tells us why Isaiah’s vision is believable.

God:

acts on behalf of the oppressed

opens the eyes of the blind

lifts those who are bowed down

remains faithful forever

In other words, Isaiah’s joy is not wishful thinking. It is grounded in the character of a God who is already at work.

Together, Isaiah 35 and Psalm 146 teach us this: joy does not come from changed circumstances alone—it comes from trusting that God’s reign is already breaking into the world.

III. The Human Condition — Joyless Desert Places

Humanity left to itself inhabits the very landscapes Isaiah describes:

Spiritual drought

Fear-filled hearts

Discouragement that bends our posture

Chaos rather than holiness

Wandering instead of walking God’s way

Theological Argument:

Wesleyan theology recognizes that sin disorders the affections, distorting our capacity for joy (Maddox).

Counterargument:

“But joy is just an emotion—some people are naturally cheerful.”

Response:

Isaiah contradicts this. Joy is not temperament; it is transformation. It is bestowed by redemption, not produced by personality (Gal 5:22). It is the restored life!

If human joy fails, divine joy must come from Another—the One who brings the desert to bloom.

IV. The Gospel Answer — Christ the Joy-Bringer and Highway-Maker

A. Christ as Fulfillment of Isaiah 35

Jesus cites Isaiah 35 to identify His messianic work (Matt 11:4–5).

Healing signs confirm the kingdom breaking in.

The highway becomes embodied in Christ: “I am the way” (John 14:6).

B. Cross and Resurrection

The cross enters the deepest desert of human sorrow.

The resurrection inaugurates new creation (Wright).

Wesleyan theology emphasizes participation in Christ’s holiness—joy crowns sanctified lives (Collins).

C. Christological Emphasis

Christ is:

The Restorer of creation

The Healer of broken humanity

The Redeemer who leads exiles home

The “Joy of heaven to earth come down”

If Christ brings this joy, then our lives must be shaped by walking His way.

V. How We Live Into It — Joy as the Posture of the Redeemed

A. Strengthen Weak Hands (35:3)

Communal encouragement and discipleship

Joy grows in shared holiness

B. Speak to Fearful Hearts (35:4)

Joy rooted in trust, not fearlessness

Faith holds tension while awaiting fulfillment

C. Walk the Highway of Holiness (35:8)

Sanctification as joyful participation in God’s love

Practices: prayer, Scripture, mercy, Eucharist

D. Sing with the Redeemed (35:10; Ps 146)

Worship sustains joy by remembering who God is

Praise flows from trust in God’s faithfulness

A people who walk this Way cannot help but become a people crowned with joy.

VI. Conclusion — Joy Crowned Upon God’s People

Isaiah’s vision is not escapist fantasy—it is eschatological promise breaking into present reality.

The deserts will bloom.

The weak will be strengthened.

The fearful will find courage.

The redeemed will walk the Way.

And everlasting joy will crown God’s people.

In Christ, the joy of the age to come has already begun.

Therefore, we live—already and not yet—as people who wear the crown of joy.

Footnotes

Randy L. Maddox, Responsible Grace: John Wesley’s Practical Theology (Nashville: Kingswood Books, 1994).

N. T. Wright, Surprised by Hope (New York: HarperOne, 2008).

Kenneth J. Collins, The Theology of John Wesley: Holy Love and the Shape of Grace (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007).

Bibliography

Collins, Kenneth J. The Theology of John Wesley: Holy Love and the Shape of Grace. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007. Keener, Craig. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2000. Maddox, Randy L. Responsible Grace: John Wesley’s Practical Theology. Nashville: Kingswood Books, 1994. Soulen, R. Kendall. The God of Israel and Christian Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996. Tennent, Timothy. Theology in the Context of World Christianity. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007. Wright, N. T. Surprised by Hope. New York: HarperOne, 2008.