Joy is listed among the fruit of the Spirit, but sometimes we feel our joy lag. God’s Word gives us much encouragement to refuel our ever-present joy. And God’s Word gives us the chance (and privilege) to pray His Word back to Him every day should we choose. You can start your day with joy by praying these 12 prayers which directly mention joy.
Better yet, find your favorite passages and pray them; your joy will come as you delve into the Scriptures.
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12 Prayers for Joy in the Morning
1. Joy in Safety from Psalm 16
Lord,
I run to You for protection, for I need you and I delight in You. You are faithful, and even though I have no good in me, You fill me with the goodness of Your Spirit because of Jesus my Savior. You are my life, Lord. You satisfy me with the instruction of Your Word. I am immovable because You keep me steadfast as the center of my trust. My inheritance is to be with You forever! I will praise You all day as I keep my eyes on You. I’m happy, Father, and I rejoice in You because You set the path of my life before me and You fill me with joy in Your presence forever.
Amen.
2. Joy in God’s Glory from Psalm 19
Father,
I love how You reveal Yourself to us through the heavens which declare Your glory and proclaim Your works. They never stop revealing Your glory! Thank you for making Yourself known to us through Your Word, too. It’s perfect, trustworthy, and makes us wise. Your laws are right and true and bring joy to my heart. How can it be otherwise, Father? For I am here for Your glory. I know when I keep Your commands there is great reward. Lord, may these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, for You are my Rock and my redeemer.
For Your glory I pray,
Amen.
3. Joy for God’s Omnipresence from Psalm 28
Lord,
Thank You that I can call on You every morning. You always hear me wherever I am, and I can’t imagine what it would be like for You to be silent or to not hear me. Thank You I am never out of range of Your hearing. I know I’ll never be dragged away with the wicked, and I know You will re-pay all evil doers. I praise You with great joy, Lord because You are my Strength and my Shield. My heart trusts You and it leaps for joy! I will sing praises to You this and every day, for You are my Shepherd who carries and protects me forever.
I praise You with my Amen!
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4. Joy in God’s Rescue from Psalm 43
My Father and my God,
Though the wicked fill the earth and surround me, Your rescue is sure! I can approach You in any time of distress knowing You are my joy and my delight. I never have any reason to be distraught because my hope is in You. I praise You, my Father, and my God.
Amen.
5. Joy over God’s Good Character from Psalm 47
My Lord God,
Your Word tells us who You are! We all are to clap our hands and shout to You with cries of joy! You alone are awesome. You are the Great King over all the earth. We rejoice to sing praises to You for You are seated on Your holy throne and You reign over all the nations. Every earthly king belongs to You, and I rejoice I am Yours. In Your holy name I praise You.
Amen.
6. Joy in God’s Refuge from Psalm 57
Lord,
No matter who we run from, You are always there and “in You my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.” I cry out to You and You fulfill Your purpose for me. You, Lord, will do great work in me as You send out Your love and faithfulness. Be exalted in the heavens, Lord, and let Your glory fill the earth! I will give You thanks and praise, Father!
Amen!
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7. Joy in Worship from Psalm 98
Lord,
I will sing a new song to You. You do marvelous things and You are the God of my salvation. Your salvation goes throughout the earth and I remember Your mighty deeds in my prayers and as I share Your goodness with others. Because of You the whole earth can sing Your praises. O, I long to join with the heavenly choir in their praise of You, for this brings great joy! We will make a joyful noise before You, for You will judge the world with righteousness and the people with equity. You are holy and good! For Your glory I pray,
Amen!
8. Joy in Christ’s Advent from Luke 2:8-21
Magnificent, heavenly Father,
When I consider what the shepherds saw that shining night when You came to earth as Jesus, I am so filled with joy. You gave the lowly sheep watchers the good news of Christ’s birth before all others except Mary and Joseph. Your kindness overwhelms me as much as the shepherds were overwhelmed at the sight of Your mighty angels who heralded the news! Even I am a recipient of Your grace. Your messenger said he brought good news of great joy for all the people. I am one of all the people. I rejoice You condescended to put on flesh as a man and save me! May I speak of You as did the shepherds, for Your pleasure and for Your glory! In Jesus my Savior’s name I pray,
Amen!
9. Joy in Sharing God’s Good News from Matthew 28
Lord Jesus,
What can we do but rejoice in You and share our joy with a lost and dying world. You have given all believers a commission to share You — You are the Gospel, the good news! You are the best news this world will ever hear or know. Your resurrection brought great joy to Your disciples, and we are recipients of that joy. From my full heart, thank You for saving me. Thank You for bringing everlasting joy.
Amen.
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10. Christ Makes Our Joy Complete from John 15:11
Jesus, my Savior,
Thank You for bringing joy to me. Your joy fills me and I am complete in You. All that You taught Your disciples is available to me, that I might share the joyful news of You with everyone I know. As I begin every day, I begin knowing You make my joy complete and I can walk through this life with Your peace. It’ll take forever for me to properly thank You, and because of what Yod did on the cross, I look forward to eternity with You when I can continually praise and thank You. In Your matchless name I pray,
Amen.
11. Joy in Hope from Romans 15:13
Lord Jesus,
Your Word says You are a God of hope and You fill me with joy and peace because I believe in You. Your Holy Spirit who lives within me empowers me toward hope. I may lose hope in fallible men, but I will never lose hope in You. You created the heavens and the earth, and You created humans. You are perfect and holy and good. I have no reason to ever doubt You, and with You abiding in me, I will stay steadfast and abide in You. I am humbled and overjoyed, Lord Jesus. I praise You and thank You.
Amen.
12. Joy in Forgiveness of Sins from Hebrews 12:2
My Savior,
You are the Founder and Perfecter of my faith. I’d be lost without You, and I don’t want to do anything without You. I can’t do anything without You, and that brings me great peace and joy. I can make it through any situation here because You have set fullness of joy before me, just as it was set before You as You made Your way to the cross. You took my sins and erased them. You are seated at the right hand of the throne of God and You intercede for me every day. What great joy I have because of You. Help me to glorify You this day as I share the why of my undiminishable joy with everyone You place in my path. O, how I love You! O, how I praise You! Be glorified in me, my Savior and Lord. For it’s in Your name I pray with great joy.
Amen.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Mohamed Nohassi
Originally published Tuesday, 21 November 2023.
