Prayer for Joy: How to Say an Uplifting One When You’re Feeling Down

Inside: When you’re struggling to find joy, contentment, or hope in your life, here’s how to say a prayer for joy. Use the 5 prayer points from 3 classic Bible prayers plus the written-for-you prayer for joy to feel better.

My untouched gratitude journal mocked me from the back of my nightstand.

I couldn’t remember the last time I cracked it open to write an entry. Months, at least, since all I felt grateful for was food, shelter, and clothing.

The truth was, I wished I could feel happiness again. But nothing in my life felt joyful. Everything felt like a giant mess in need of fixing.

Misery and despair were my constant companion. Worse, no one understood why I was so unhappy. Their only advice was to stop wallowing and count my blessings.

But here’s what I didn’t know back then.

I didn’t need to fix all the wrong things in my life in order to feel true joy again. Plus, I didn’t need to force myself to come up with things I should be grateful for. I also didn’t need to let others shame me with their toxic positivity by pretending I wasn’t miserable.

And neither do you.

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How a Prayer for Joy Can Help You

The world would have you believe a lie. It says you’re facing hard times, you shouldn’t feel joy. You should go around in sackcloth and ashes looking like death warmed over.

But here’s the thing. True joy is one hundred percent independent of your circumstances. True joy is a result of your thoughts, no matter your circumstances.

This means you can feel joy even when your life is hard and you don’t know what’s coming at you.

You’ll see it’s true if you stop and think about it.

Imagine 2 people in the same circumstance. One of them can filled with peace, calm, and joy. Meanwhile, the other one may be mired in unhappiness and dissatisfaction. The only difference is in how they’re thinking about their situation.

Of course, feeling joy as you face trials isn’t always easy. It can feel hard, even when God is using it to grow and mature you.

But it’s not impossible. You can start practicing and getting good at feeling joy whenever you want.

The good news is: There’s no downside to saying a prayer for joy, even in difficult circumstances.

So you can resign yourself to getting through this in misery. Or you can do yourself a favor, dig deep, and make yourself joyful through the whole thing.

To help you with option 2, let’s do a quick Bible study of 3 classic prayers for joy in the Bible.

3 Powerful Prayers for Joy in the Bible

You may never have noticed this but a prayer for joy is usually also a gratitude prayer. It makes sense when you think about it.

People pray with joy when they’re thankful for something. So when you say a prayer for joy, you may surprise yourself by finding things to be grateful for. Yes, even beyond food, shelter, and clothing.

These 3 prayers for joy from the Bible show you how. Then stick around for 5 prayer points they all have in common that you can use too.

Moses and Israel’s Prayer for Joy Their Triumph

As a Christian, you likely know the story of how God used Moses to deliver the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. The Book of Exodus covers the entire saga.

Let’s pick up just after God parted the Red Sea. He made it a way of escape for the Israelites and a tomb for the Egyptians.

Immediately after, Moses and the Israelites crafted a song about it in the form of a prayer for joy.

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Exodus 15:1-2 (ESV)

You can read the whole song in Exodus 15:1-21. From it, you can see 5 parts in their prayer for joy covered. They:

Started by exalting God. ”The Lord is a warrior; The Lord is His name.” (v3, AMP)
Recounted the mighty deed they’d witnessed. “ Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has thrown into the sea.” (v4a, AMP)
Talked about what God did for them in broader terms. “You in Your lovingkindness and goodness have led the people whom You have redeemed.” (v13a, AMP)
Reminded themselves of God’s promises. “You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain.” (v17a, ESV)
Wrapped the whole thing up with a reminder of God’s sovereignty. “The Lord shall reign to eternity and beyond.” (v18, AMP)

Hannah’s Prayer for Joy in God’s Answer

Hannah’s entire story is in 1 Samuel 1:1-2:10. Here’s her story in a nutshell.

Hannah was infertile and her husband’s second wife taunted her about it because he loved Hannah more. Meanwhile, Hannah’s husband was kind and generous toward her. But he couldn’t understand why she wasn’t happy and fulfilled with him.

So Hannah prayed to God in despair. She promised to dedicate her child back to God if He would only bless her with one. The Lord took her up on her offer and gave her Samuel.

Then Hannah returned to the temple, handed over Samuel as promised, and said her prayer for joy.

My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.
1 Samuel 2:1-2 (ESV)

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Hannah’s entire prayer for joy is recorded in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. In it, she:

Started by exalting God. “There is no one holy like the Lord.” (v2a, AMP)
Praised God’s might. “The bows of the mighty are broken, but those who have stumbled equip themselves with strength.” (v4, AMP)
Talked about what God does in broader terms. “The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He lifts up.” (v7a, AMP)
Reminded herself of God’s justice. “The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces.” (v10a, AMP)
Wrapped up the whole thing with a reminder of God’s promise. “He increases the strength of his anointed one.” (v10b, NLT)

Mary’s Prayer for Joy in Her Purpose

If anyone could have walled in her difficult circumstances, it was Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Unwed and pregnant, her reputation must have suffered. No one could have judged her for going to God in despair about it.

But she didn’t. Here’s what she did instead.

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”
Luke 1:46-49 (ESV)

In her prayer of joy, Mary:

Started by exalting God. “And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (v47, AMPC)
Talked about the specifics of what God did for her. “For he took notice of his lowly servant girl.” (v48, NLT)
Praised God’s might. “He has shown strength and made might with His arm.” (v51a, AMPC)
Talked about what God did for His people. “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy.” (v54, ESV)
Wrapped up the whole thing with a reminder of God’s promise. “Even as He promised to our forefathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” (v55, AMPC)

5 Prayer Points to Power Up Your Prayer for Joy

Don’t you just love these 3 prayers for joy in the Bible?

I recommend you read them in full so you can absorb the power of their words of praise and gratitude. You can’t come away from reading them without feeling even a sliver of joy.

If you’re struggling to pray for joy, you can borrow one of these prayers for joy from the Bible. Or you can use the 5 points these 3 prayers have in common to say your own prayer for joy.

Here’s what Moses, Hannah, and Mary all did in their prayers for joy. They:

Exalted God by praising Him for who He is.
Recounted the specifics of what He’d done for them.
Recounted what God does for His people in general
Praised God’s might.
Reminded themselves of God’s promises.

Keep these prayer points in mind as you say a prayer for joy. When you do, you may find you can create feelings of joy where there were none!

Now, here’s a written-for-you prayer for joy to start you off. As with many powerful prayers, it uses Bible verses to pray God’s word back to Him.

Your Uplifting Prayer for Joy

I exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever. I praise You every day because You’re great and You’re the only one who’s worthy of praise. No one can measure Your greatness.

No matter where I am, Lord, You’re there. In the middle of my most difficult and painful circumstances, You shine like a beacon, keeping me tethered to You. When I get up in the morning, You’re there with fresh mercy and new opportunities for me to try again. And no matter how far and wide I travel—over high mountains and across deep oceans—You strengthen my faith through the journey.

Heavenly Father, You promised to show me the way of life, to grant me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever. I’m excited about our continuing journey together. You’re so gracious and merciful to consider me worth loving beyond measure. You’re worthy of all praise and glory, oh Lord. And You alone are holy, so I worship You.

You’re God of gods and Lord of lords. You’re the one true, great God, the only mighty and awesome God, the only just God. You keep me safe, and You encourage and strengthen me as You hold me up with Your victorious right hand.

My joy in You increases daily, as I draw closer to You. Please keep lighting my way, Holy Spirit. I pray in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

Finding Joy through Your Prayers

I wasted months of beating myself up and feeling bad because I was so miserable that I couldn’t count my blessings.

I let others shame me about feeling down amid my blessings. And I fell prey to the toxic positivity others were shoving down my throat.

But now I know better. Now, I know I can create joy any time I want by saying a prayer for joy.

And so can you.

Use these 3 prayers for joy from the Bible to inspire you in your prayer life. Or you can use the 5 prayer points to come away feeling better than when you hit your knees.

Your prayer for joy can be simple, detailed, short, or long. It can be anything you want it to be. Just remember one thing: it’s about what God has done, is doing, and will do in Your life.

Praise God for these things, and you’ll find yourself creating feelings of abundant joy and gratitude in no time.

Heck, you may even start a gratitude journal because you’re so full of joy.

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