6 Prayers When You’re in Desperate Need of Joy
The Lord tells us, “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24). As Jesus tells us, our joy can be complete. All we have to do is ask the Lord in prayer. Following the Lord’s directions, we need to pray to Him and present our requests to Him. By doing this, our joy will be complete.
Knowing that the Lord hears our prayers is an answer to prayer in itself. Jesus hears our prayers, and He will bring the answers we need. Even though our prayers might not be answered as expected, we know He hears all of our prayers. Whenever joy is lacking in our lives, all we have to do is turn to Him in prayer. He will be able to lift our hearts in joy.
1. A Prayer to Be Fully Joyful
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).
Whenever we need joy, we need to find comfort in the Lord. Through John 15:11, we see the Lord’s joy. Jesus’ joy is found in telling His disciples that just as the Father has loved them, He loves them too (John 15:9-10). Even though Jesus says this to His disciples, it is true for us too. Our joy can be made complete by knowing that the Father and Jesus love us.
This simple truth can change our heart’s perspective on all things. We might be going through a difficult time, but knowing the love God has for us can repair any wound. Rather than turning a deaf ear to His love, we need to praise Him for His love and acknowledge our dependence on Him by going to Him in prayer. Today's focus on our prayer is to be fully joyful, which means we ask the Lord to help us fully grasp His love.
“Dear Lord, Your joy is made complete in me by knowing that You love me. Whenever I struggle or fall on unfortunate times, please help me to remember this truth. Your love brings joy to my heart, and I praise You for loving me despite my faults, flaws, and sins. Amen.”
2. A Prayer to Rejoice
“The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad” (Psalm 118:24).
Jesus has done many great things, including providing us with salvation by dying for our sins. This was out of His great love for us. Since we know the Lord loves us and has given us salvation, we need to rejoice. As Psalm 118:24 tells us, we need to rejoice and be glad. Every blessing in our life comes from the Lord, and we need to praise Him.
Once we know the Lord, there is no room for lack of joy or hope. When times are tough, and we struggle to feel joyful or hopeful, we can go to the Lord in prayer. By asking Him to help us rejoice and be glad, we will soon begin to reflect on His goodness and rejoice in our hearts. Try to turn to the Lord today and focus on His goodness. Each and every blessing is from the Lord, including this very day.
“Dear Lord, please help me to rejoice and to be glad. I have been struggling with a lack of joy in my life, and I need Your presence. Please help me to have joy in my heart and to rejoice. Bring to mind all of Your past faithfulness and love. In Your Name, I pray, Amen.”
3. A Prayer for Joy in the Morning
“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
There are many nights when we go to bed exhausted and hopeless. Due to the day's events, we are left weeping and calling out for God to help. If this sounds familiar to you, don't feel ashamed. Continue to call out to God and meditate on Psalm 30:5. From this passage, we are told that God’s anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime.
Moreover, we are also told that weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning. When our hearts are unsettled, we need to reflect on this truth and pray for joy in the morning. Whether it is nighttime or the morning, you can still pray for joy. Lean on God and allow His joy to cover your heart.
“Dear God, I'm finding myself in a pool of tears. Please turn my sorrow into joy. Weeping may last tonight, but I ask You to bring me joy in the morning. I praise You and I thank You. Amen.”
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4. A Prayer for Inexpressible and Glorious Joy
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).
The Apostle Peter tells us in this passage that we are already filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. The source of our inexpressible and glorious joy is our salvation, which was given to us by the Lord. Peter also tells us that even though we have not seen the Lord, we love Him, which is also part of our inexpressible and glorious joy. Therefore, we already have inexpressible and glorious joy by knowing Jesus and being blessed with salvation.
Whenever we are lacking in joy, we need to reflect on 1 Peter 1:8-9 and go to the Lord in prayer. Many people think you cannot pray Scripture, but it is completely biblical to pray Scripture. Praying Scriptures means that you pray different Bible passages that are in accordance with your situation. This helps acknowledge your dependence on God, as well as helps you learn God’s Word. We will pray Scripture today for our prayer to provide an example.
“Dear Lord, I have not seen You yet, but I am filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy by knowing You and being blessed with salvation. I have received the goal of my faith, the salvation of my soul. All of this because of Your great love. Thank You, Lord. Please help me to take hold of this inexpressible and glorious joy today. In Your Name, I pray, Amen.”
5. A Prayer for a Joyful Heart
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Proverbs 17:22).
Today, we will focus on praying for a joyful heart. As Proverbs 17:22 tells us, a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit is not good for the bones. The New International Version translates the original Hebrew word to “cheerful;” however, other versions utilize “joyful" heart. In either case, the meaning remains. A joyful heart is essential to our lives because it is good medicine.
If we look at our lives, we probably relate more to the crushed spirit rather than the joyful heart. However, we don’t have to continue in this pattern anymore. Through prayer, God can transform our crushed spirit into a joyful heart. God has a way of answering prayers in greater ways than we could ever imagine. All we have to do is trust in Him. Sometimes, this can be hard, but we must reflect on His goodness, grace, and love.
“Dear God, please bless me with a joyful heart rather than a crushed spirit. I often feel hopeless and helpless, but I know I can trust in You. Please help me to live a joyful life and to leave my crushed spirit in the past. I will look to You every day and have joy. In Your Son’s Name, I pray, Amen.”
6. A Prayer for Developing the Spiritual Fruit of Joy
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
On our final day, we will pray for developing the spiritual fruit of joy. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Along with joy are the spiritual fruits of love, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is beneficial to cultivate each of these fruits; however, we are focusing on the spiritual fruit of joy today.
The Holy Spirit is the one who develops these fruits, as we cannot attain any spiritual fruit by ourselves. The development of the spiritual fruits comes from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This means all praise and thanks belong to Him. We don’t need to credit ourselves when we develop the spiritual fruit of joy or any other spiritual fruit. The Holy Spirit will help us develop this fruit, but we have to go to Him in prayer, apply what the Bible says, and lean on His help.
“Dear Holy Spirit, please help me to develop the spiritual fruit of joy. By developing the spiritual fruit of joy, I will never be lacking in joy ever again. It is only by You that I can develop this spiritual fruit, and I acknowledge my dependence on You. I praise You, Amen.”
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/tommaso79
Originally published July 14, 2025.
