Psalm 16:11“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
The Bible speaks volumes about joy. Joy can be found throughout, from Psalms and letters to Corinthians all the way to scriptures like this Psalm. Joy is defined as an inner gladness which doesn’t depend on circumstances – God provides it through relationships! But how do we experience it when life gets difficult? According to this Psalmist’s writings it’s possible – indeed our duty – to still find joy even during difficult times.
Joy may seem like something only experienced during easy times – when everything seems to go our way and we can feel satisfied about our spiritual progress. Yet joy should remain part of Christian living even during trials, as loving and trusting God should remain key components in the Gospel message.
Jesus Himself instructed His disciples to be joyful. In several instances He used “joy” as an acronym for Himself. To achieve full joy he suggested praying for what you want and believing you will receive it, for a full sense of fulfillment resulting from prayerful action taken on that wish. Joy comes from God through the Spirit which gives life.
Joy stems from our relationship with God, as evidenced by this Psalm. At its outset, its author praises the Lord for His everlasting love and faithfulness, likely as a response to His rescue of him from enemies.
As the psalm continues, its writer asserts that God takes delight in His creation and particularly in those who trust in Him and worship Him with unwavering obedience – this joy was mentioned by Isaiah when he stated that on the day of salvation those ransomed by Christ would return home singing songs of everlasting joy.
This passage makes a wonderful prayer prompt and meditation passage. After reading it, take some time to write in your journal about its contents – this exercise will help remind you what God has taught and shown you! Additionally, our daily bible verse of Psalm 16:11 can also serve as an opportunity to do just this! We provide a free bible study journal that has space for you to record what He speaks into your life through our bible verse of the day – you can download this here and utilize our 5R method for bible study; learn more here about its potential for helping grow closer to Him!
