Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that is mentioned in Galatians 5:22. The Holy Spirit enables believers to express joy, even in the midst of hardships. God can use our suffering to serve His divine purposes and He can enable us to experience a deep level of profound joy. Miraculous events occur when God’s people experience joy in the midst of hardships.

An example of this is found in Acts 16, when Apostle Paul and Silas are imprisoned in a jail cell for casting a demon out of a slave girl. Paul and Silas pray and sing hymns to God at midnight, in the midst of persecution. The other prisoners hear them and soon afterwards, all of the inmates experience the power of God in a violent earthquake. The earthquake shakes the very foundations of the prison and causes everyone’s chains to come loose. The end result of this incident is the salvation of the jailer and his entire household.

Joy is a very potent fruit of God’s Spirit. Yet there are times when a believer will fail to experience joy. King David was a prime example of a fervent believer in the LORD who at times struggled find joy in life. Yes, even David whom God described as a man after God’s own heart and praised God with so much zeal that he danced even though his clothing fell off struggled to find joy. David, the boy with the faith to knock out the Philistine giant Goliath and the author of so many Psalms in the Bible that some are named Davidic Psalms lacked joy when he wrote Psalm 43:5. King David said, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

If you are a believer who is struggling to be joyful, you are not alone. Christianity Daily compiled a list of thirteen Bible verses on joy.

Bible Verses About Joy

1. When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” – Psalm 126:1-2

2. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. –Psalm 126:3

3. Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. – Psalm 126:5

4. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. – Psalm 126:6

5. Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors. - Psalm 119:24

6. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. - 1 Peter 4:13

7. For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. - Psalm 92:4

8. The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. - Proverbs 10:28

9. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13

10. I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. - Luke 15:7

11. The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you;in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17

12. Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! - Zephaniah 3:14

13. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. - James 1:2-3