His Joy - in pain as well as pleasure
"...let all those rejoice who put their trust in You...
Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.
For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield." Psalm 5:11-12Joy in the midst of life's struggles
"...count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4
"This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24"Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?'
'But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 'Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” John 6:67-68"One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.
For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;
Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord." Psalm 27:4-6
"Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food...
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like hind's [deer’s] feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills." Habakkuk 3:17-18
"Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.
Now in my prosperity I said, 'I shall never be moved....You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
I cried out to You, O Lord; and to the Lord I made supplication....
Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me;
Lord, be my helper!”
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever." Psalm 30:4-12Joy is quenched by deception
"For the leaders of this people cause them to err,
And those who are led by them are destroyed.
Therefore the Lord will have no joy in their young men,
Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows;
For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer,
And every mouth speaks folly." Isaiah 9:16-17
"Be ashamed, you farmers, wail, you vinedressers...
Because the harvest of the field has perished.
The vine has dried up, and the fig tree has withered...
All the trees of the field are withered;
Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men." Joel 1:11-12Joy in His cleansing love and forgiveness
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You." Psalm 51:7-13
“O Lord, I will praise You;
Though You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
Behold, God is my salvation,
I will trust and not be afraid;
For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song;
He also has become my salvation.’ ”
Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." Isaiah 12:1-3
"In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book,
And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
The humble also shall increase their joy in the Lord,
And the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 29:18-19
"A highway shall be there... the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean shall not pass over it....No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it...
But the redeemed shall walk there,
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Isaiah 35:8-10
The Joy of His comfort"For the Lord will comfort Zion,
He will comfort all her waste places;
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
And her desert like the garden of the Lord;
Joy and gladness will be found in it,
Thanksgiving and the voice of melody." Isaiah 51:3
"For I will turn their mourning to joy,
Will comfort them, and make them rejoice rather than sorrow." Jeremiah 31:13
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:1-3
"Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at His word:
“Your brethren who hated you,
Who cast you out for My name’s sake, said,
‘Let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy.’
But they shall be ashamed.” Isaiah 66:5"...the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
"So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word." Matthew 28:5-8
The Joy of His Word"...hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately the stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces." Matthew 13:18-23
"Your words were found, and I ate them,
And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;" Jeremiah 15:16
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." Matthew 13:44
"Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" Psalm 32:11"You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11