25 Encouraging Verses to Help You Cultivate Joy

Motherhood (and life!) can be tough, and it’s easy to lose our joy. Here are 25 Scriptures to help you get it back!

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Life can be hard. Motherhood can be hard. Through trials, challenges, busyness, or even just monotony or routine, it can be easy to let our joy slip through our fingers.

The thing is, nothing and no one is going to bring it back into our lives. It is up to us to restore it, cultivate it, and safeguard it.

We have to be intentional and diligent about filling our hearts with the right nourishment for the seeds of joy to flourish in our hearts.

One of the things I like to do is meditate on Scripture that encourages me to choose joy and that shows me how to do that.

Here is a list of 25 of my favorite verses on joy!

25 Verses to Cultivate Joy in Your Life

(All are NLT, unless otherwise indicated)

1. 1 Thess. 5:16-18
   Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
2. Philippians 4:4
   Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
3. Romans 12:12
   Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
4. Habakkuk 3:17-18
   Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
   and there are no grapes on the vines;
   even though the olive crop fails,
   and the fields lie empty and barren;
   even though the flocks die in the fields,
   and the cattle barns are empty,
   yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
   I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
5. Psalm 94:19
   When doubts filled my mind,
   your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
   
   
6. Psalm 118:24
   This is the day the Lord has made.
   We will rejoice and be glad in it.
7. Isaiah 61:10
   I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
   For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
   and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
   I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding
   or a bride with her jewels.
8. Psalm 16:11
   You will show me the way of life,
   granting me the joy of your presence
   and the pleasures of living with you forever
9. 1 Timothy 6:6 (contentment)
   Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.
10. Psalm 119:111
    Your laws are my treasure;
    they are my heart’s delight.
11. 1 Timothy 6:17
    Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
12. James 1:2-3
    Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
13. Proverbs 10:28 (ESV)
    The hope of the righteous brings joy,
    but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
14. 1 Peter 1:8
    You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.
15. Romans 15:13
    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.
16. Nehemiah 8:10b
    Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!
17. Psalm 27:6
    Then I will hold my head high
    above my enemies who surround me.
    At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,
    singing and praising the Lord with music.
18. Psalm 30:5b
    Weeping may last through the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.
19. Galatians 5:22
    But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
20. Proverbs 17:22
    A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
21. John 16:24
    You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.
22. 1 Thessalonians 5:16
    Always be joyful.
23. Psalm 16:9 (ESV)
    Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
24. Psalm 113:9 (ESV)
    He gives the barren woman a home,
    making her the joyous mother of children.
    Praise the Lord!
25. John 16:22
    So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.

Recommended Reading:

• The Secret to Joyful Motherhood (With FREE Printable!)
• 10 Ways to Survive Tantrums (Without Losing Your Mind or Joy)
• 10 Things To Do When You’re At The End Of Your Rope
• An Honest Review Of… The Cranky Mom Fix