5 Biblical Truths About Joy that Will Change Your Life
Last Updated on August 21, 2024 by Alicia Michelle
Are you going through a challenging life season and want to know where you can learn about joy in the Bible?
I've summarized some Bible scriptures on joy into 5 simple truths below (you can also check out the list of Bible verses about joy here).
God wants us to discover how to have authentic joy in every season (yes, even that really difficult one you're going through right now)!
Let's learn more about what God says about how to find lasting joy.
Great Bible Study About How to Find Real Joy
Before we go any further, perhaps you're looking for a great Bible study on joy?
I don't just mean a collection of joy Bible verses.
I mean a Bible study that will change your life and finally show you HOW to discover that joyful life God has for you?
If so, you've got to check out the Joy Full 5Rs Bible Study™ Journal.
With over 30 joy bible verses, this amazing joy Bible study answers the 6 biggest questions about finding joy in everyday life, including:
- Where can we find true happiness & lasting joy?
- How do I know that God has good, joy-filled plans for me?
- How can I choose joy during life’s trials?
- How can I find joy when I don’t feel joyful?
- How can I trust God to turn my trials into joyful blessings?
- How can joy grow in my heart when life is always hard?
In only 6 weeks (and in less than 10 minutes a day), you'll uncover the main reasons WHY it's difficult for you to experience joy right now.
If you're discouraged by your circumstances and you want to know HOW to find a more joyful life, this is the perfect Bible study for you!
5 Truths About Joy Found in the Bible
Bible Joy Truth #1: Authentic joy and true happiness is found is God's presence.
I love that joy is the very essence of God's character!
1 Chronicles 16:27 says that “strength and joy fill his dwelling.” Psalm 16:11 reminds us that joy and “eternal pleasures” are found in God's presence.
I love David's personal testimony of authentic joy that he's discovered as result of his time with God (Psalm 28:7 and Psalm 34:8).
By spending time with God in prayer and daily Bible lessons, we can enter into God's wonderful joy-filled presence and allow His truths about joy fill our hearts.
Bible Joy Truth #2: Lasting joy is possible in every season when we follow God’s truths.
God calls us to follow Him and to trust in His wisdom (as we read in Proverbs 3:5-6) even if it isn't easy or it doesn't make sense.
But there's one other blessing that we see when we read Bible verses about joy: God promises real joy (not just happiness) when we decide to listen to Him and live by biblical principles!
Consider these verses about joy in the Bible:
Psalm 1:1-3 promises that if we “delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night,” then we will be filled with joy and we will be prosperous because we will bear fruit in every life season.
I love how Psalm 19:8 reminds us that God's good commandments (what I like to think of as His “boundaries” for my life) bring joy to a person's heart because they give incredible wisdom.
Choosing joy during challenging life circumstances is never easy, especially when we are tempted to ignore God's wisdom and to follow our own ways.
We may think that these solutions will make the pain stop and bring the joy and contentment we're looking for. But Psalm 119:1-3 promises that “joyful are people of integrity who follow the instructions of the Lord.”
In fact, when we choose to allow the Holy Spirit to reign in our hearts, we see joy as one of fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22).
I'm so grateful that we can learn about real joy in the Bible, and that I don't have to try to discover how to find joy on my own! How about you?!
Bible Joy Truth #3: Trusting God with our future brings undeniable joy and peace.
It seems strange to find joy by trusting in someone else, but I've seen over and over in my own life that my deepest joy comes when I learn to just be still before God and trust that He is figuring everything out for my good.
One thing I've learned about joy in the Bible is that God doesn't promise that joy has to make logical sense for the circumstance. He just promises that He will provide it when we trust him (Proverbs 16:20, Psalm 28:7).
Here's a Bible verse about joy that beautifully illustrates this incredible truth: “You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy” (Psalm 30:11).
And then there's this scripture on joy that always tugs at my heart and gives me great hope:
“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy” (Psalm 126:5).
Friend, we don't have to fully understand joy to be able to embrace it during life's toughest seasons. That is one biblical truth about joy that I regularly cling to!
[clickToTweet tweet=”‘We don't have to fully understand #joy to embrace it during life's toughest seasons.' #bible http://bit.ly/biblejoy” quote=”‘We don't have to fully understand joy to embrace it during life's toughest seasons.'”]
Bible Joy Truth #4: Joy is an invaluable gift of God that radiates to others.
There are so many Bible verses about joy that share that God simply wants to give us the gift of joy when we choose to trust in Him:
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
Scriptures on joy like 2 Corinthians 6:10 remind us that we can have a broken heart but still have joy and give spiritual riches to others. I love that, don't you?
And I love how the psalmist describes God's gift of joy as more precious than the most valuable physical gifts. Psalm 4:7 implies a celebratory aspect to biblical joy akin to a farmer's great pleasure when gathering an abundant harvest.
One of the greatest truths about joy in the Bible? Biblical joy is a gift that we don't have to summon ourselves.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10 describes God's followers as broken clay jars who have God's radiant, joy-filled light shining through them.This Bible verse about joy clearly states that God uses life's problems as proof that our Christian joy through trials is a gift from God (not something we've discovered on our own).
I also love the simple-yet-profund biblical truth about joy expressed in 2 Corinthians 6:10: “Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.”
Which brings us to our next awesome truth about joy…
Bible Joy Truth #5: Joy transforms our difficult circumstances into times of blessing.
Of course it seems contradictory that joy would come during hard times! But that's one of the best promises about joy in the Bible.
1 Peter 1:6-8 reminds us to choose joy, even during the most difficult trials.
In fact, James 1:2-4 describes life's troubles are “an opportunity for great joy” because times of trial bring incredible endurance to our faith.
Bible verses about joy like 2 Corinthians 8:1-3 share that God's great joy (even during difficult circumstances) results in “rich generosity.”
And one of my favorite Bible verses on joy is how life trials can bring great blessing because we know that God will use them as part of our future testimony (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).
Try This Way to Study About Joy in the Bible (In Minutes a Day)
Now that you know these awesome biblical truths about joy, why not dig deeper into God's word and really discover how to apply them to your life?
I created the Joy Full 5Rs Bible Study Journal for this exact purpose.
This six-week intensive Bible study about joy shows you how to not only understand what the Bible REALLY says about joy but apply 30 different joy Bible verses to your life!
Have a Hard Time Finding Joy? Consider This
What keeps so many of us from finding true joy?
I believe it's because we're bogged down by all kinds of questions about why we're not happy, such as:
- Where can I find true happiness & lasting joy?
- How do I know that God has good, joy-filled plans for me?
- How can I choose joy during life’s trials?
- How can I find joy when I don’t feel joyful?
- How can I trust God to turn my trials into joyful blessings?
- How can joy grow in my heart when life is always hard?
We may not realize we have these questions, but we often have them nonetheless buried inside other frustrations.
For example, you may think, “I need to find joy during this tough season when my kids are driving me crazy.”
Can I challenge you to consider that the deeper question you're REALLY asking may be, “How can I find joy when I don't feel joyful?” or “How can I choose joy during life's trials?”
So first:
- We need to recognize that we have questions (yes, we ALL face these questions about joy from time to time); and then,
- We need to look to God's word for answers (He wants to answer our questions and give us the gift of more joy!).
And that's exactly what the Joy Full 5Rs Bible Study™ Journal does.
This one-of-a-kind joy Bible study helps you discover the answers to these common questions about joy by looking at Bible verses and biblical stories of those who also struggled with these issues.
Each week on Days 1 to 5 of the study, you'll use the 5Rs Bible Study Method (an easy Bible study method that takes under 10 minutes a day) to apply that day's Bible verse about joy to your life.
This method teaches you to Read, Rewrite, Restate, Relate and Respond to each verse (you can learn more about the 5Rs here).
Then at the end of each week (in the “Reflect” section) you'll find tons of great discussion questions and journal prompts here so that you can delve even deeper into the subject!
The “Reflect” section also includes you'll read real-world accounts from others in the Bible who also dealt with struggling to find joy.
The Joy Full 5Rs Bible Study ™ Journal is perfect for anyone who really needs to develop a godly perspective on joy–and find joy in all circumstances!
Get Started on Your Own Journey to More Biblical Joy
I hope you learned something new about joy in the Bible from this post!
Can I encourage you to take the next step?
Why not get started today on your journey to more joy with the Joy Full 5Rs Bible Study™ Journal?
Let this powerful joy Bible study teach you how to discover joy–even during life's most challenging circumstances.
Call upon His name, trust in His promises, and let these truths about joy in the Bible change your life today!
More Resources About Joy in the Bible
- How to Find Joy in a Trial: My Story
- 19 Joy Bible Verses for Chronic Illness Sufferers
- 4 Ways Acceptance with Joy Will Change Your Life Today
- Want More Happy? 20 Bible Verses About Joy & Happiness
- How to Find Authentic Happiness (Bible Verses About Happiness)
- How to Teach Children About Biblical Joy
