11 Bible Verses about Joy and Where it Comes From

What brings you joy in your life? 

Hearing a child laugh, attending a family dinner, or participating in a community outreach event are all things that bring a feeling of happiness into our lives. 

Yet, are they joyful? Above all else, we should consider the feeling of joy emanating from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Being Christians, we experience joy in life simply by knowing Jesus' love for us. Joy is truly a gift from the Lord. When we face conflict in our lives or see the world we live in struggling during difficult times, we can always find a fullness of joy in celebrating our Lord and His word.  

Let's see what the Bible has to say about joy and how we can embrace it in our daily lives.  

What does the Bible say about joy?

The Bible teaches us that joy is not tangible, and it doesn’t come from such things as physical items. Joy is not money, nor is it a gift from a friend. While these things can create feelings of happiness, they are not true joy.  

True joy is the joy of the Lord!  

As human beings, we want something to cling onto — something that we can touch and feel.  

That is why we have the Bible, which is filled with God's reassuring words. The Bible tells us there is more to life than what we can experience with our five senses. The gift of knowing God and our salvation are what bring us true joy.  

Here are three Bible verses from the New Testament that speak of joy:  

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). 

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith” (Galatians 5:22).

By knowing Him, you will know great joy

Rejoice in the Lord! Sing praises!  

Joy comes from faith and from knowing God. As Christians, in our souls and in our hearts we know Jesus. He has plans for each and every one of us, and we place our faith and trust in Him.  

We know His love for us, as well as His sacrifice for salvation and eternity in the kingdom of heaven. This is what brings us true joy. 

Embrace these three Bible verses about joy from God:

“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand” (Psalm 20:4-6).

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

“Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Joy is being saved

Joy is restoring your broken relationships with God and accepting him into your heart. 

In fact, repenting for your sins and accepting Jesus into your heart and your soul is perhaps one of the most joyous feelings of all and calls for songs of joy!  

The Bible teaches us that joy comes from knowing you are saved. The feeling of confessing your wrongdoings and sins and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior is almost indescribable. 

To know He will be there for you when you are ready to accept Him and that He will forgive you is a soothing comfort, and we rejoice in that.

“I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7).

As God's children and with the power of the Holy Spirit, joy can enter our lives through many levels. His love opens up doors we had no idea were even there. Through his gift of love, we can live a life full of joy and pass that joy along to others who may not have it in their lives.  

Through understanding God's love for us and the relationship He wants to have with us, we experience joy.

Here are three verses about rejoicing in God and all that He does for us:

“Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones” (Isaiah 49:13).

“This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

“Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18).

Fight to maintain His joy in our lives

It is easy to lose sight of joy when we are face to face with trials and tribulations on the path of life. These worries and anxieties create overwhelming feelings of failure and being lost. This creates a blindfold over our eyes, blocking them from seeing the light.

However, as Christians, we know that even during these difficult times, our Lord and Savior has not given up on us. The Lord is always there, and we must fight with the strength He has given us to see and to be strong. 

He has given us the power to silence and abolish the negative feelings we may have inside our heads that want to pull us down.  

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3).

His gift of joy is always within our reach. It isn't always easy to recognize or hold on to, but it is worth the struggle and perseverance. He is worth every ounce of fight we have in ourselves, and we must never lose sight of that.

For more Bible verses, prayers, and devotionals about bringing joy and gladness into your life, download the pray.com app in the iOS App Store and Google Play.