I think the world could do with a little more joy right now. Wouldn’t you agree?

I’m writing this song story a few weeks before Joy is released in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s struck me how there may never have been a better time to release this song. With the daily doom and gloom news updates, it is so easy to descend into a negative way of thinking. But what is so important to remember is that we can know a God that wants to give us joy in abundance!

I wrote this song a few years ago because I wanted to write something upbeat, fun and joyful. Naturally I ended singing about the joy we have from knowing God and how we can experience more of God’s joy by pressing into and worshipping him. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we no longer need to feel fear or shame because we have been set free from sin. I therefore really wanted to sing about how we can have complete freedom and joy when we put our faith in Jesus.

What turned a very average song into what it is today was a songwriting session I had with my friend, Jacob. This was one of the first times I had sat down with a friend to write and I wasn’t quite sure if anything would come of it! But I found sharing our song ideas with each other, and developing them, was such an encouraging experience. I would therefore encourage any songwriters to give this a go if you haven’t written collaboratively, or keep it up if you have.

I do hope that as you listen to this song you will be able to experience more of God’s joy in this turbulent time.

Josh Saunders

Singer/Songwriter & Musician