Questions About Joy
Bible Studies on Joy
The Appointed Feasts of the LORD
Leviticus 23 provides the calendar of Israel's sacred festivals: Sabbath, Passover, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacle...
7 min readThe Path of Life
David expresses total satisfaction in God as his inheritance, finds counsel even in the night, and looks forward to the fullness of joy and eternal pl...
6 min readThe King Rejoices in God's Strength
The companion to Psalm 20, this psalm celebrates the king's victory and God's blessings, praising the LORD who answered prayer and gave the king his h...
5 min readWeeping May Tarry for the Night
David dedicates the temple with praise for God's healing, celebrating how God turned his mourning into dancing and his weeping into joy.
6 min readThe Joy of Forgiveness
David celebrates the blessedness of forgiven sin, describing both the misery of hiding guilt and the relief of confession, then inviting others to tru...
6 min readMay the Nations Be Glad
A brief but powerful missionary psalm praying for God's blessing to spread worldwide. The vision is clear: as God blesses His people, all nations will...
4 min readCome, Let Us Sing for Joy to the Lord
A beloved psalm of worship calling God's people to joyful praise, then shifting to serious warning against hard hearts. This dual movement—celebrati...
5 min readThe Lord Reigns, Let the Earth Rejoice
Another enthronement psalm celebrating God's reign over all the earth. Fire, lightning, and mountains melting before His presence create awe, while Zi...
5 min readShout for Joy to the Lord, All the Earth
The beloved "Jubilate," perhaps the most joyful psalm in Scripture. A brief, exuberant call for all the earth to worship with gladness, acknowledging ...
4 min readI Was Glad When They Said to Me
Psalm 122 expresses the joy of pilgrimage to Jerusalem and fervent prayer for the peace and prosperity of God's holy city.
4 min readSowing in Tears, Reaping with Joy
Psalm 126 celebrates the joy of restoration from exile and expresses hope that God will turn weeping into rejoicing once again.
4 min readThe Ransomed Shall Return
After chapter 34's darkness, chapter 35 blazes with hope. The wilderness rejoices; the desert blossoms. Weak hands are strengthened. The blind see, th...
5 min readThe Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Prodigal Son
When criticized for receiving sinners, Jesus tells three parables of stunning grace. A shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to find one lost. A woman sea...
8 min readThe Work of the Spirit and Sorrow Turned to Joy
Jesus prepares His disciples for persecution and promises that the Spirit will convict the world and guide them into all truth. Though sorrow will com...
7 min readRejoice in the Lord Always
Paul calls for unity, rejoicing, and prayer instead of anxiety. Think on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely. He has learned contentment in a...
4 min readRejoice in the LORD, O Righteous
This hymn of praise celebrates God as Creator and Sovereign over all nations, calling the righteous to worship with music and trust in His steadfast l...
6 min readGodly Sorrow Leads to Repentance
Paul rejoices that his severe letter led to godly sorrow and genuine repentance. His joy is complete because Titus was encouraged by the Corinthians' ...
5 min readPraise Awaits You, O God, in Zion
A hymn celebrating God as Creator and Provider. From answered prayer to abundant harvests, this psalm overflows with gratitude for divine blessing tha...
5 min readThe City of Our God
A song of Zion celebrating the beauty and security of Jerusalem, God's holy mountain, where kings flee in terror and God's people rejoice.
5 min readZion's Vindication and New Name
God will not rest until Zion's righteousness shines like brightness and her salvation like a burning torch. She receives a new name, no longer called ...
5 min readThe Spirit of the Lord Is Upon Me
Jesus read this passage at the Nazareth synagogue to announce His mission: good news to the poor, liberty to captives, comfort to mourners. The year o...
6 min readSing to the Lord a New Song
A magnificent call for all the earth to worship God. Creation itself joins the chorus as the psalm anticipates the Lord coming to judge the earth with...
5 min readDrink Water from Your Own Cistern
Proverbs 5 is a warning against adultery and a celebration of marital faithfulness, urging exclusive devotion to one's own spouse.
5 min readJoy in Every Circumstance
Paul writes from prison with joy, confident that his chains advance the gospel. He longs to depart and be with Christ but knows remaining is better fo...
5 min readA Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath
Proverbs 15 emphasizes gentle speech, the Lord's omniscience, the value of a joyful heart, and wisdom's priority over sacrifice.
5 min readThe Fellowship Offering
The fellowship offering (or peace offering) was unique among sacrifices because it was shared between God, the priests, and the worshipper. This commu...
5 min readSongs of Thanksgiving
Isaiah 12 provides the lyrics for the redeemed to sing in that day. After all God's saving work, His people will praise Him, proclaim His deeds to the...
4 min readLet God Arise
A majestic celebration of God as warrior, provider, and king. This extended psalm traces God's journey from Sinai to Zion, defeating enemies and carin...
7 min readThe Stone the Builders Rejected
Psalm 118 is a triumphant celebration of God's deliverance, climaxing in the prophetic declaration that the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone—f...
7 min readA New Song of Victory
Psalm 149 calls God's people to sing a new song, dancing and making music while wielding the sword of divine justice.
5 min readThe Three Annual Festivals and Justice
Deuteronomy 16 establishes the three annual pilgrimage festivals—Passover, Weeks, and Booths—and provides instructions for appointing just judges ...
5 min readIt Is Good to Praise the Lord
A Sabbath song celebrating the goodness of praising God. The psalmist contrasts the temporary flourishing of the wicked with the lasting vitality of t...
5 min readHe Put a New Song in My Mouth
David testifies to God's deliverance, declares that obedience is better than sacrifice, and cries out for continued help amid ongoing troubles.
7 min readThe Ark Brought to Jerusalem
David attempts to bring the ark to Jerusalem. When Uzzah is struck dead for touching it, David fears God but eventually brings the ark with joy, danci...
5 min readEvening Prayer of Trust
David prays for relief from distress, calls his adversaries to repentance, and experiences peace and joy that come from trusting in the LORD alone.
5 min readSing to the Lord a New Song, for He Has Done Marvelous Things
Another call for a new song celebrating God's marvelous salvation. Rivers clap, mountains sing, all creation joins the music as the Lord comes to judg...
4 min readMake Haste to Help Me, O Lord
A brief, urgent prayer for swift divine intervention. This psalm, nearly identical to Psalm 40:13-17, serves as a standalone cry for help in acute dis...
4 min readMorning Prayer for Protection
David presents his morning prayer to God, asking for guidance and protection from enemies who speak lies, while expressing confidence that God shields...
5 min readClean and Unclean, Tithes and Firstborn
Deuteronomy 14 addresses Israel's identity as God's holy people, specifying clean and unclean foods, establishing tithing practices, and providing for...
5 min readLiving for God's Will
Since Christ suffered in the flesh, believers should arm themselves with the same attitude, living for God's will rather than human desires. Peter add...
6 min readHide Me from the Conspiracy of the Wicked
David prays for protection from those who plot in secret, sharpening their tongues like swords. God's unexpected intervention causes the arrogant to s...
5 min readA Royal Wedding Song
This magnificent psalm celebrates a royal wedding, praising the king's majesty and the queen's beauty, ultimately pointing to Christ and His bride, th...
6 min readThe Ark Brought to Jerusalem: Doing It God's Way
This chapter records David's successful second attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem, this time following God's instructions with Levites carrying it,...
4 min readContend, O LORD, with Those Who Contend
David calls on God to fight his battles, describing ruthless enemies who repay good with evil, and asking for vindication and the silencing of false a...
8 min readTrue Fasting and Sabbath Keeping
God rejects religious ritual that coexists with injustice. True fasting loosens bonds of wickedness, feeds the hungry, and houses the homeless. Then l...
6 min readWisdom Was There at Creation
Proverbs 8 presents Wisdom as a person calling publicly, offering life and favor, and revealing that she was with God before creation itself.
5 min readCentralized Worship
Deuteronomy 12 establishes that Israel must worship only at the place God chooses, destroying all Canaanite worship sites and avoiding their practices...
6 min readThe Two Ways
Psalm 1 opens the Psalter by contrasting two ways of life: the blessed person who delights in God's law and the wicked who are like chaff blown away b...
5 min readGod Is King Over All the Earth
A jubilant psalm calling all peoples to clap and shout as God ascends His throne as King over all nations.
4 min readThe Resurrection and Ascension
Women find the tomb empty and angels announce Jesus is risen. Two disciples encounter Jesus on the road to Emmaus, their hearts burning as He opens Sc...
8 min read