12 Bible Verses About Joy for When Life is Hard

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It’s not a sin to have sorrow.

If someone ever tells you that Christians should never be sad, don’t believe them because even Jesus was sad at times…and wept.

In the first chapter of the book of Job we see that Job’s sorrow was great.

In fact, his sorrow was so great that in chapter three we see that he didn’t even want to live anymore.

Ever been there?

Layout of free sheet of Bible verses for joy when life is hard

It’s not a sin to have sorrow, but the question is this: where does our sorrow lead us?

For some, their sorrow leads them to alcohol and drugs.

For others it leads them to depression and they comfort themselves with TV, food, books or gaming.

Still others exhaust themselves with work so they don’t feel the pain. That was me.

I have two sons who are God’s gift to us, in fact I’d even say they are miracle babies because before I had our first son I had two miscarriages.

After our second son, I had two more miscarriages.

After the third miscarriage, I was so shaken and deeply sad that I couldn’t even talk about it.

It was as if just saying the word “miscarriage” would somehow make it real; and I didn’t want it to be real.

The sorrow in me was so great that I was afraid I’d drown in it.

So I comforted myself with work.

I would get up early in the morning – around 4:30-5:00 A.M. and throw myself into work.

I work at home so it’s already hard to keep proper working hours.

I would go to bed around 11:00 P.M., but because of the stress I carried, I wouldn’t sleep well.

My children and husband suffered because I often neglected housekeeping….and myself.

But it was a trap.

While the exhaustion drowned out the pain and sorrow, as soon as I would stop the pain would return. Why?

Because I didn’t turn to the only One who could give me joy unspeakable and full of glory!

Only in Jesus Christ can we find healing for our souls!

Today I want to share with you 12 Bible verses about joy that we can remind ourselves of in those times when sorrow overwhelms us; so we remember that joy is not dependent upon our circumstances,  it is not dependent upon our feelings.

True joy is supernatural and comes from God; it is a decision we must make every day – to live joyful lives!

12 Bible Verses About Joy for When Life is Hard

1 Peter 1:8-9 Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Psalm 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

Psalm 27:6 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.

John 16:22 “Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Psalm 30:5 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.

Isaiah 35:10 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.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (I know this one doesn’t mention joy, but it has always been a comfort to me)

Proverbs 10:28 The hope of the righteous will be gladness,
But the expectation of the wicked will perish.


You can get these verses on printable cards to cut out and carry with you or hang on your war room wall. Simply type in your email below and you will instantly receive these verses as a free download.

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Read more about joy in these articles below:

Free Resources about Joy:

10 Bible Verses About Joy

Articles About Joy:

What Does the Bible Say About Joy

2 Things That Steal Your Joy

5 Ways to Get Our Joy Back

4 Ways to Keep Your Joy

25 Verses That Command Us to Have Joy

12 Bible Verses About Joy When Life is Hard

More articles from the Book of Job

12 Bible Verses About Joy When Life is Hard

3 Things Not to Say to Someone in Depression {and what to say instead}

10 Bible Verses for When You Feel Like Giving Up – Free Printable

When You Think God is Against You

4 Things to Remember When You Feel Discouraged

Stop Asking, “Why God” and What to Ask Instead

Forget Everything You’ve Ever Believed About God’s Favor

Rosilind
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20 Comments

  1. I especially love the verse from Psalm 43 – It’s so good to talk to our souls, to infuse truth into the mess that can live there if we don’t pay attention! This is a wonderfully mindful post!

  2. This is a wonderful list of truth about JOY! Thanks for sharing it with us. And thank you for being vulnerable. It is difficult to share about tender moments of our lives, but God uses them for His great purposes. I found you via Grace & Truth and I’m glad I did. 🙂

  3. I’m so sorry for the pain you’ve endured. I, too, have experienced the pain of miscarriage. It takes a long time to rise above that.
    I especially love Heb. 12:2. We need to continually look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
    Thank you for sharing this post with us.
    Sending you my love and prayers.

  4. Love these verses! I have lost a son to miscarriage and struggled with depression and anxiety ever since. Joy doesn’t come easy to me. I have to work for it. Thanks for collecting some verses for me to use. I shared this post with my blog FB group. I think a lot of people can benefit from the hope of these verses.

  5. Thank you for sharing this! I have a child who is two and recently miscarried my second child. God has been teaching me and growing me, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy. I happened upon Good Morning Girls on Pinterest this week and was so excited to see the next study was on Job. And then to see your post… it was definitely God that directed me to this study! I know it’s okay to feel sad, but I also know I need to choose JOY each morning. I will be keeping this list so I can refer back to the verses. Thanks!

    1. I am so sorry for your loss, Nicole, I pray that Lord comfort your heart. I am so very glad you found me and the study!! Please let us know if you have any questions or need anything. May God bless you today!!

  6. These are wonderful. Thank you for sharing them. I struggle with depression a lot. It really peaked for me after I had a miscarriage as well. They are absolutely devastating. This is something I’ve just started to learn: “True joy is supernatural and comes from God.” Thanks for the reminder :).

  7. I love these reminders about joy! We are never promised that life will always be easy, but the Bible does have many good and hopeful things to say about joy.

  8. I honestly believe you can’t know the pain and emptiness of a miscarriage unless one experiences the trauma oneself. I myself have two babies waiting for me in Heaven. I
    didn’t really discuss it with anyone until I finally had a best friend as a adult and it turned out she had suffered one herself. It was like finding a lifeline! Should you need or want to discuss anything under the sun, I find the sincerest relief talking to another mother with heavenly children. Feel free to contact me. It would be a pleasure.

    1. Thank you so much, Kathy. I agree, it is something that is hard to understand until you’ve experienced that level of loss. We do need to have those around us we can talk to, because the burden of pain is too great.

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