15 Bible Verses About Joy and Happiness

We all face difficult times in life.  Even in these times, we can experience the joy of the Lord by standing on his promises.  Today, we’ll explore 15 Bible verses about joy and happiness.

I’ll also share a moment when God reminded me of a simple principle for joy in life.

I also invite you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you live with greater joy in the Lord.

Let’s begin with the Word.

15 Bible Verses About Joy and Happiness

Here are 15 encouraging Bible verses about joy and happiness

Bible Verses About Joy and Happiness

1. Philippians 4:4 (ESV)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

The Apostle Paul wrote these words while imprisoned.

We can have joy in even the direst circumstances because God is with us.  He is the source of our joy and peace.

2. John 15:11

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Jesus taught that the way to have joy was to remain connected to him.  Referring to himself as the Vine, he described his followers as the branches.  The branches bear fruit by remaining connected to the vine.

In this way, we find joy and a sense of purpose: We remain connected to Jesus.

For a list of practical ways to help deepen your connection to Jesus, join me here.

3. John 16:33

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Rather than being surprised when troubles come, we should realistically expect difficulties in life.  But this doesn’t mean we’re called to lives of gloom and doom.

Jesus declared that we would face trouble.  He then reminded us that he has overcome the world.  In his presence, we can endure even the most difficult situations.

4. Matthew 16:26

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Many people spend their lives chasing temporal possessions and achievements.

We can gain the whole world but still lose our souls.

True joy is found through surrendering to Jesus and following him.

5. Matthew 6:26

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminded his listeners not to worry.  Just as God fed the birds, he would feed and care for them.

This promise is true for us today as well.

Rather than worrying, may we watch for God’s provision.

6. Romans 8:32

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Some people live with the false belief that God is holding out on them.

This verse speaks otherwise.  Would a father allow his own child to die for someone else and then not care for that person?

You are precious to God.  Find your joy in this unchangeable aspect of your identity.

7. Isaiah 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

If you have decided to follow Jesus, you are clothed with the garment of salvation.

Find your joy here!

If you have not decided to follow Jesus, what is holding you back from making him the Lord and Leader of your life?

8. Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Joy is found in God’s presence.

God is everywhere, which means joy is always possible.  Our role is to open our spiritual eyes to become more aware of God’s presence.

9. Nehemiah 8:10

Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Nehemiah reminded God’s people of their source of strength: God’s joy.

What expression do you imagine on God’s face when he looks at you?

You fill him with joy.  God smiles upon you.  Receive this joy, and you will be forever changed by it.

10. Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Believing in God is a source of unshakable joy.

Everything else in our lives might fall apart, but God does not change.  Find your peace and joy here.

11. Galatians 5:22

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.

When we stay close to the Lord, we bear good fruit.

If your life lacks joy, seek the Lord.  He wants to fill you with joy.

12. Psalm 30:5

For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

We all face sorrow in life.

During these times, we can remind ourselves that God is with us.  One day, he will wipe away all tears and make all things new.

13. Psalm 71:23

My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.

We are to testify to God’s goodness.

When we don’t feel joyful, talking about God’s goodness can lift our heads and fill us with his joy.

14. Acts 2:28

You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.

Again, this verse reminds us that as we walk with God, the joy of his presence fills us.

Are you walking with God by obeying him as well as you know how? Talk to him about this today.

15. Psalm 4:7

Apply These Bible Verses About Joy and Happiness

I take my bike to the open road at the end of a too-long day just to feel the air brush up against my skin.

I want the breeze to carry my cares across the hay fields, where they might get lost and tangled in the dormant silage stubble.

I’m not pondering how to savor life as I speed down the road; mostly, I’m embracing how good it feels to take a break from the chaos of our energy-filled home.

I’m three miles into my 12-mile route when I see it.

There’s a balloon flogging in the wind, tied to a small headstone in the little country cemetery.   It reads, “Happy Birthday!”  The contrast of the shining, colorful balloon against the backdrop of the cemetery is stark.  Like a paradox.

How can celebration and grief coexist?

I don’t know why I do it, but something draws me to slow the bike.  I turn into the cemetery and make slim tire tracks through the grass and straight to the grave with the balloon.

As I approach, I see several small toys on the headstone, a birthday card, and a tiny muffin with an unlit candle propped in the midst of it all.  I climb from the bike and read the card:

“Happy birthday, little buddy.  Love, Gram and Pap”

The Truth About Joy

The headstone tells me Gram and Pap’s little buddy only lived to be one month old.  Tears come as I imagine the family gathered around the grave and imagine their heartache.  I think of the loved ones we’ve lost – close friends and family members who have walked this difficult road.  In an instant, the struggle of my long day at home with irritable little ones is turned upside down.

There were fights to break up and lessons to be learned.

We dealt with broken eggs and full pitchers of spilled lemonade.  One child shed tears throughout the entirety of meal prep.  A little one fell headfirst into the tub while I attempted to shower.  There were arguments over screen time, moments of intentional disobedience, and more.

I lost my patience more than once.  I decided all I wanted was a break from the chaos and couldn’t get out of the driveway on the bike fast enough when Daddy came to take over.

How to Reframe the Hard Parts of Your Life

But the birthday balloon on the little guy’s headstone reframes it all.

I climb back onto the bike, wiping tears on my shirt, and I pedal away slowly, changed.

My kids fought all day long, but my house is filled with noise and life and love.

We learned a few lessons the hard way today, but we are here together, and we get to keep learning together, growing together, and surrendering to love together.

I rarely get to embrace the gift of a shower without a one-year-old pulling back the curtain and attempting to climb in with me.  But he is beautiful and adorable.  If he weren’t here to interrupt my morning routine, I would weep without his cheerful presence at my side.

Giving Thanks for What You Do Have

Our house is loud and wild and impossible to keep clean, but it is filled with vitality and joy, and I really wouldn’t trade it.  If the noise and energy were suddenly taken away, there would be the deepest kind of ache in the marrow of my soul.

Maybe your house isn’t filled with the raucous of noisy children.  Perhaps you stood over your own brand of headstone not too long ago, but I imagine there’s something good in your life.

There’s someone who smiles at you and sparks a reminder of what love looks like.

There’s a roof over your head.  You have dark-roast coffee to drink, good books to read, and delicious candles to smell.

There’s something good.

Create Space to Relish the Good

I need it, and I wonder if you might need it too: space to step back and relish the good, to think about what life would be like without our most treasured gifts.

Let’s savor and give thanks for all that’s good right now.  You never know when you might be headed straight for your own cemetery day.  A day when everything changes, and you’d give just about anything for ten more minutes to relish the good gifts.

Let’s savor and give thanks for all that’s good right now, because you never know when you might be headed for a day when you’d give anything for ten more minutes to relish the good gifts. #embracinglife #gratitude Share on X

I keep pumping my legs to get down the road, but I’m riding slower than when I first left the house.  I’m not escaping something; I’m relishing something.  That flapping birthday balloon reminds me to savor life, just as it is.

Cultivate gratitude

From this day forward, I make a silent vow.  It’s a promise to create space to savor life, step back from my moments, and meditate on the beauty of my reality.

There are plenty of imperfect parts of our lives, parts just waiting for redemption.  Some of us get caught up in pondering what’s wrong in our lives.

It takes work to create space to savor life, but if we don’t do the work, we might just miss the greatest of gifts of all.

The scent of waffles in the iron on a snowy winter morning. 

The sound of children laughing. 

Muddy footprints across the otherwise clean tile. 

Stubble in the sink. 

Barefoot summer afternoons. 

Mornings so bitter that cold the ice freezes to eyelashes.

If we’re not careful, these everyday moments will slip through our fingertips, and we’ll look back to realize we missed them.  Because you miss them every time you grumble instead of giving thanks.  You miss them when you escape into your phone or your television or a bag of potato chips.  You miss them when you don’t stay in the thick middle of your moments and choose to give thanks for what you still have.

Let’s stay in our moments.

Let’s create space to relish them and see if we don’t start to live the lives we’ve been craving all along.

Calling All Parents and Grandparents!

As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God.  Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision.  They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love.  You can find all three books here or read more below.

Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!

God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom.  Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world.  I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven!  You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord.  Find this life-changing devotional book here.

Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter

Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion.  I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven.  Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.

Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20.  It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing.  This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start.  Bekah and I will help you right here.

Find Our Family Devotionals Here

Find all three books right here.  They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial!  These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them.  Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.

Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing

God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone.  Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life.  Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here.  (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!

A Free Devotional to Help You Connect With God

If these Bible verses about joy and happiness blessed you, I have a gift for you.  God is a good Father, and he wants us to experience his healing, deliverance, and replenishment.  Most of us have learned that we cannot heal, deliver, or refresh ourselves; we need God to do this work within us.  I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment.  Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free.  I invite you to explore the collection right here!