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Bible Verses

30 Bible Verses About Joy That Will Make You Smile!

Lots of people talk about wanting to find happiness. But joy is a much wiser thing to search for.  

Because happiness is based on circumstances. But joy comes from within.  

And for the Christian, joy is found in our relationship with Jesus.

This is why even in the darkest of circumstances we can still find joy. Because Jesus is always with us.  

Joy is important because it is what gives us the strength to get through another day. This is why finding joy is especially important for those of us who suffer from debilitating health conditions.

But it can be easy to forget the many reasons we have to be joyful every day.

This is why we put together this list of 30 Bible verses about joy that will make you smile!  

Bible Verses About a Joyful Heart

The Bible has a lot to say about having a joyful heart because God knows that what is in our hearts has a profound effect on us. 

It sets the tone of our life.  

That is why we love these bible verses about joy and happiness.

Because they remind us of the many reasons our hearts should be full of joy.  

1) “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” 

-Philippians 4:4 NLT

2) “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” 

-Psalm 16:11 NIV

3) “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight.” 

-Jeremiah 15:16 NIV

4) “I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.” 

-Psalm 16:8-9 NLT

5) “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”  

-Psalm 28:7 NIV
A woman wearing a hat while twirling through a wheat field. And the Bible verse, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again-rejoice!" -Philippians 4:4 NLT

Bible Verses About Finding Joy in Hard Times

It can be hard to find joy in hard times, and yet the Bible encourages us to do exactly this.  

Because the truth is when we look for the good, it gives us the hope we need to keep going.  

These Bible verses about joy in suffering will help you remember that God can use ALL things for good. (Romans 8:28)  

Even the hard things you are going through.  

6) “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.” 

-Proverbs 14:13 ESV

7) “Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”  

-Nehemiah 8:10 NIV

8) “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” 

-James 1:2-4 ESV

9) “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” 

-Romans 5:3-5 ESV

10) “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” 

-1 Peter 4:13 ESV

11) “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”  

-Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV

12) “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

-Hebrews 12:2 NIV

13) “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” 

-Psalm 42:11 NLT
A woman closing her eyes while looking up outside in a field. And the words, "When we look for the good, it gives us the hope we need to keep going."

Bible Verses About Finding Joy in the Journey

These Bible verses about finding joy in the journey, remind us that joy isn’t something we just feel.  

It is also a way of life.  

By choosing joy every day, we remember that Jesus is our reason for living.  

And He is with us through every step of this journey.  

14) “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”  

-Romans 12:12 ESV

15) “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.”  

-Romans 8:18 NLT

16) “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”  

-1 Peter 5:10 NLT

17) “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!”  

-2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT

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

-Psalm 16:11 ESV
A pier stretching out into the water with the sunset behind it. And the Bible verse, "Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later." -Romans 8:18 NLT

Bible Verses About Joy and Thankfulness

These Bible verses about joy and thankfulness remind us that when we focus on all we have to be thankful for . . . it is a lot easier to find joy.  

Just try it.  

Count your blessings one by one. And see if you aren’t smiling by the time you are done.  

19) “Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” 

-Psalm 106:1 NIV

20) “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’” 

-Hebrews 12:28-29 NIV

21) “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.” 

-Psalm 107:21 NIV

22) “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.” 

-Psalm 69:30 NIV

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

-Psalm 95:2 ESV
A woman sitting in a field with her hands raised up in the air. And the words, "Because of Jesus we know that someday we will live for eternity in a place full of joy!"

Bible Verses About Joy and Laughter

These Bible verses about joy and laughter remind us of the many reasons we have to celebrate.  

After all, God loves us. He is for us. He is with us.  

And because of Jesus, we know that someday we will live for eternity . . . in a place full of joy.  

24) “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; 
then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’” 

-Psalm 126:2 ESV

25) “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouting.” 

-Job 8:21 ESV

26) “Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!” 

-Psalm 47:1 ESV

27) “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” 

-Luke 6:21 ESV

28) “And Sarah said, ‘God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.’”  

-Genesis 21:6 ESV

29) “You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy.” 

-Psalm 30:11 NLT

30) “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” 

-Proverbs 31:25 NLT
A woman walking down the road while smiling and holding a purse. And the words, "30 Bible verses about joy that will make you smile!"

Why is joy so important to God?

Joy is important to God because He knows the good it can do for us.  

When we find joy in Him, we are no longer pushed around by our feelings. Our circumstances. Or the people around us.  

Instead, we have a settled peace within our hearts.  

Because we know that no matter what, God is with us.  

And nothing can take Him away from us. (Romans 8:38-39) 

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.” 

-Psalm 34:4-5 NLT

If you found this encouraging, then please share! 

And check out these inspiring Bible Verse Lists as well: 

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