12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
26 He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God’s face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
3 The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
11 The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12 “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.”
27 To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”
1 Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
“Solid joys and lasting treasure none but Zion’s children know.” John Newton
“You miss out on fully living the joy of your life, when you keep waiting for another life to make you joyful.” Ann Voskamp
“The Father Himself rejoices as we enter our rest and joy. How quickly did the Father see the returning prodigal afar off! With what compassion he fell on his neck and kissed him! He put on him the best robe, a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. He killed the fatted calf that they might eat and be merry. This is nothing compared to the embraces and the joys of our great meeting in heaven. The Lord rejoices and takes pleasure in His people. He is now preparing a place for you and will come again and receive you to Himself, that where He is there you may be also.” Richard Baxter
“God delights in His covenant and so we are sure He will not turn back from it. It is the joy of His holy heart. He delights to do His people good. To pass over transgression, iniquity, and sin is the recreation of Jehovah. Did you ever hear God singing? It is extraordinary that the Divine One would solace Himself with song, yet a prophet has thus revealed the Lord to us: ‘The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.’ (Zephaniah 3:17). The covenant is the heart of God written out in the blood of Jesus.” Charles Spurgeon
“If there is joy in the world, surely the man of pure heart possesses it.” Thomas a Kempis
“Circumstances do not have the power to steal your joy. Joy is the by-product of experiencing God’s sovereign grace even in the midst of seemingly impossible circumstances.” Anonymous
“Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.” Leon Bloy
“The surest mark of a Christian is not faith, or even love, but joy.” Samuel Shoemaker
“The glitzy lights of this world are no match for the True Light of Jesus which shines forth through every believer. While certainly louder and touting the promise of satisfaction, the world fails miserably in its offer of continued contentment, joy and peace. Like the drug addict, all the world does is keep one longing for more. With Christ there is no wanting. He is the Living Water which totally fills the cup. Daily be filled with Him and everything else is merely a cherry on top.” BHY
“What were we made for? To know God. What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God. What is the eternal life that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God. What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight, and contentment, than anything else? Knowledge of God. What, of all the states God ever sees man in, gives Him most pleasure? Knowledge of Himself.” J.I. Packer
“Seeking with faith, hope, and love pleases our Lord; and finding Him pleases the soul, filling it full of joy.” Julian of Norwich
“Many of God’s promises are conditional on our behavior – our choices, our priorities, our motivations, our actions. There are many “If” and “Then” statements in Scripture – promises that depend upon our actions yet there are also many promises that are not, namely, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”, “I will not leave you as orphans”, “No one can snatch them out of my hand”, “In this world you will have trouble” (as hard as that is to swallow) followed by “but take heart! I have overcome the world”, “I am coming soon”, etc., etc., etc. We do ourselves a great injustice and rob ourselves of much peace if we are not thoroughly acquainted with the promises of His Word. They are given to us for both a comfort and joy.” BHY
“It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and good people who have learned the great secret of life. They have found a joy and a wisdom which is a thousand times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are Christians...and I am one of them.” St. Cyprian, 200-258
“You can’t get to joy by making everything perfect. You can only get there by seeing in every imperfection all that’s joy. The joy is in having the Beloved, not in loving what we have.” Ann Voskamp
“Joy is the serious business of heaven.” C. S. Lewis