15 Bible Verses About Joy in the Lord

Not long ago, our family went to the cabin because we needed space to rest with God.  We craved downtime for sitting beside smoldering campfires and soaking in the afternoon sunshine along the reservoir.  Because my joy was lacking, I needed to open God’s Word and soak in replenishing Bible verses about joy in the Lord.

My right shoulder blade had been twitching for days—a sign that I’d been pushing too hard, running on fumes, and succumbing to worry and anxiety.

Today, I’ll share 15 Bible verses about joy in the Lord.  Then, we’ll talk about practical ways to cultivate joy in our daily lives.  I also invite you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you experience God’s presence and walk in the joy of his love.

Bible Verses About Joy in the Lord

God’s Word has a great deal to say about finding our joy in the Lord.  Here are 15 Bible verses about joy in the Lord.

15 Bible Verses About Joy in the Lord

1. Psalm 95:2, ESV

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

We experience God’s joy every time we thank him for his blessings.  I like to begin my days by thanking God for two or three gifts.

I might thank him for blessings from the previous day, sweet moments with my family, or the glory of his created world as I look out the window.

Studies in neuroscience show that we can change the way our brains function by spending five minutes giving thanks for 30 consecutive days (Joyful Journey by Dr. James Wilder and colleagues).

2. 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.

True joy is found when we become aware of God’s presence with us.  He waits to reveal himself to us and delights in filling us with his joy.  This is why Nehemiah teaches us that God’s joy is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

Ask God to help you become more aware of his presence with you.

Take it a step further and spend a few minutes in silence each day, soaking in the awareness that God is with you.

I like to begin my days and end my days by focusing on God’s presence with me.

As I become more aware of God’s presence with me, my capacity for joy expands.

3. Psalm 100:1-5

A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

God delights in our praise.  Whether we are gathered with others to praise him in song or sitting alone in our homes, God inhabits the praises of his people.

Make it a habit to regularly praise God in song.  Draw near to him with a grateful heart and thank him for his love, goodness, compassion, and grace.  He will fill you with his joy.

4. Lamentations 3:21-25

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

God’s mercies are new every morning.  He waits to reveal himself to us in new ways every day.

Cultivate joy every morning by thanking God for a new day to live and worship him with your life.  He is working in every realm of your life, even the difficult areas.

Wait for him and watch for him.  He wants to reveal himself to you.

5. Romans 5:1

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Before Jesus died on the cross, God’s people had to regularly make atonement for their sins by sacrificing animals.  God accepted these sacrifices as payment for their disobedience.

When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the price, once and for all, for the sins of all humankind.  He invites us to receive his forgiveness and commit to following him.  In doing so, we have peace with God through Jesus.  We also experience his joy.

6. Psalm 34:14

Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

We discover greater peace when we turn away from evil, obey God, and follow him.  This peace also leads to great joy.

Are you seeking peace with every person in your life right now?  If not, what might God be leading you into?

7. Isaiah 54:10

“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

God’s new covenant of peace was established through Jesus.  Furthermore, God’s compassion never fails.

No matter what you’re facing today, even if you feel as though your world has been turned upside down, God’s covenant of peace remains.  Seek him and you will find him.  He is already pursuing you.

8. 2 Corinthians 13:11

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

These admonishments lead us into God’s joy.

Aim for restoration in relationships.

Extend comfort to one another.

As much as possible, agree with one another and live in peace.

9. Psalm 118:24

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

For several years, I spoke this Psalm before getting out of bed in the morning.

Our children were young, and I was often awake throughout the night caring for crying babies and frightened toddlers.  Morning often came too soon.

I started speaking the words of Psalm 118:24 because I needed to remind myself that I was stepping into a new day from God, and the day ahead was a gift.  Speaking these simple words helped me shift from grumpiness to gratitude.

10. Proverbs 21:21

Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.

This Proverb teaches us that when we do the right thing and extend kindness to others, we find life, righteousness, and honor.

Do you want to learn to celebrate life and live with joy?  Pursue righteousness and kindness.

11. Philippians 4:4

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

We can always rejoice in God because God is always good.

No matter what you are facing today, ask God to help you rejoice in him.  He will give you strength for every challenge you face.

12. Romans 8:31

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Does it feel like someone is out to get you?

Remember this: Because Jesus lives in you, he can help you rise above those who aim to discourage and defeat you.

13. Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Did a loving adult comfort you by singing over you when you were a child?

My mom used to sing over me to calm me while rubbing my forearm gently.  Thoughts of her loving voice and gentle touch fill me with comfort even now.  In a similar way, God sings over us and wants to comfort us with his love.

We can face any challenge because the Creator of the world sings over us.

14. John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Jesus came to give us abundant life.  He also overcame the works of the enemy once and for all.

When you sense that Satan is out to steal, kill, and destroy in your life, stand on the promise that Christ is greater.  Rebuke the enemy in the name of Jesus and command him to leave.

Jesus came to lead us into the greatest celebration of all: his victory.  We find joy in this victory.

15. Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

In his letter to the Philippian church, the Apostle Paul offered instructions on what to do in our anxious moments.  We are to present our troubles to God with thanksgiving.

As we cast our cares on God, his peace guards our hearts and minds.

What do you need to cast onto God today?

Let’s see how these Bible verses about joy in the Lord apply to our everyday lives.  Return with me to our cabin in the woods, and we’ll talk about finding God’s joy.

Applications of These Bible Verses About Joy in the Lord

After 48 hours spent climbing muddy mountain roads, dipping nets in swampy bogs in pursuit of red-spotted newts, eating sandwiches beneath open skies, and bathing in mountain spring water, I noticed a shift in my body.  The anxiety-induced muscle spasms had stopped.

I also noticed the most surprising gift.  For months, my creative capacity for writing had been minimal.  However, in the open space of the wilderness, the words began flowing again.

First, they came as I picked up a book I’d recently started reading.

Weeks before, the book was disappointing when I tried to read it at home.  The words didn’t reach my heart.  I had assumed it just wasn’t the right time for the book.

However, in the woods, the words of the very same book came alive.  They jumped off the pages and breathed new life into my soul.  They inspired long journal entries and hours of quiet reflection.

Alone by the campfire on a cool, cloudless evening, I reflected on the work God was doing in my heart as our family rested with him.  He was replenishing me, nurturing me, and inspiring me.

How can I carry these rhythms back to our everyday spaces where dentist appointments, grocery shopping trips, and errands fill our days?  How can I carry these rhythms beyond the silence of the northern forests and back to the drone of lawnmowers and the sound of garbage trucks growling down the roads? I asked myself as the smoke washed over me in grey wisps.

3 Practical Ways to Rest With God Amid a Full Schedule

These questions led me to reflect on the lessons I could carry home with me.  I pulled out my journal and wrote down three practical ways to rest with God amid the fullness of my life at home.

1. Rest with God by holding your agenda loosely.

One of the greatest blessings of getting away from home for a weekend is the change of pace.

We throw the schedule out the window, and we are spontaneous.  As a family, we decide whether to go swimming or hiking, go to the creek or to the reservoir, relax at camp or look for creatures.

Most of our daily schedules don’t offer this same expanse of flexibility, but most of us can make small adjustments.  We can let ourselves choose between the scenic route and the highway.  We can fight for margin time to linger longer with friends and resist the temptation to hurry.

2. Rest in God’s joy every day.

The book that didn’t speak to me at home spoke to me in the woods because I found space to rest while I read it in the wilderness.

I stepped out of the rhythms of hurry and created space to hear the Lord’s voice.

Adding an extra hour of rest to my days at home might not be possible, but I can find ten minutes—ten minutes to do nothing but lean back and enjoy being with God while he enjoys being with me.  I might gaze out the window, sip coffee, or simply close my eyes and imagine him holding me.  I’ve learned that this is the truest and deepest kind of rest.

3. Create space for whimsy and play.

I write about whimsy often because it bears repeating.

Building campfires, swimming, hiking, enjoying picnic dinners in the deep woods, exploring new roads, and watching the kids twirl glowsticks on summer nights are playful activities for our family.  Time at our camp includes plenty of opportunities for this sort of whimsical playfulness.

Sadly, our weekends at home are often marked by household projects and errands.  We forget to leave space to play.  As a result, we are not rested, and we often feel burned out and overworked.

Instead of filling every minute with work, what if we took time to pull out board games, play tee-ball in the yard, gather around a fire with marshmallows, or splash in the nearest stream?  This sort of whimsical play might just fill our souls.

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Read here for three practical ways to rest with God even when life is full. #GodsRest #Rest #SeekingGod Share on X

Our weekend at camp eventually drew to a close.  However, the time away shifted something deep within me.  I’m holding onto it and cultivating it.

God wants to help you experience his joy, too.  What shift is he calling you to make in your life?

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.

Calling 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 for Greater Joy

If these Bible verses about joy in the Lord blessed you, I have a gift for you.  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.  This short devotional will help you experience God’s joy, connect with him in fresh ways, overcome bad habits, and rise above insecurity.  Find it for free here.