Lyrics
Verse (Repeat x2)
It's my joy to lay my life down
Cause when I lose my life for Your sake it will be found
And everything I give is nothing compared to
The surpassing worth of getting to have You
Chorus (Repeat x2)
And the joy is found in the laying down
So, I give it all to You
Refrain (Repeat x2)
I let go so I can take hold of You
Outro (Repeat x4)
It's my joy to lay my life down
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"It's My Joy" opens with a paradox stated directly, naming joy in the act of laying life down rather than in holding onto it. That paradox borrows a well-known teaching about losing life to find it, applying ancient instruction to a present, personal decision.
Its second line grounds that surrender in comparison, naming everything given as nothing measured against the surpassing worth of simply having God. Repeating that comparison across both verses ties the song's entire logic to relative value rather than loss framed as mere sacrifice.
Rooted in contemporary worship's meditative, repetitive chorus tradition, the song functions as a brief, sustained meditation on surrender as joy rather than burden, its closing refrain naming release and grasp in the same breath, letting go precisely so that something greater can be taken hold of instead.
Related Scripture
- Matthew 16:25 Describes losing one's life for Christ's sake in order to find it, directly echoed in the song's opening verse.
- Philippians 3:8 Describes counting all things as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ, directly echoed in the song's verse.