Lyrics
Verse 1
I'm pulling on joy from Heaven's reserve
He's stored up enough for every winter I'm served
I'm seeing beyond my circumstance
This joy that I have is my inheritance
Joy, this is the joy of the Lord
Chorus
The joy, the joy, the joy of the Lord is my strength
The joy, the joy, the joy of the Lord is my strength
Oh oh oh, He is my hope
The joy, the joy, the joy of the Lord is my strength
Verse 2
There is a Savior in the valley place
He's walking beside me and He knows my pain
God, the beginning and the end
God right there in the midst of it
Joy, this is the joy of the Lord (Repeat)
Chorus (Repeat)
Bridge
There's gonna be glory
There's gonna be glory
There will be glory after this
No need to worry, this present suffering
There will be glory after this
Chorus (Repeat)
Verse 3
There is a King seated on His throne
Prepared a place that I'll call my home
There I will see Him face to face
He'll wipe every tear from my face
Joy, this is the joy of the Lord (Repeat x4)
Chorus (Repeat)
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"Joy of the Lord" draws its central line directly from a familiar Old Testament declaration, describing joy not as a fleeting feeling but as a stored reserve strong enough to sustain through every season of hardship named "winter." Its opening verse frames that joy as inheritance rather than achievement, something already given and available regardless of present circumstance.
The second verse acknowledges real pain directly, describing a Savior present in "the valley place" who walks alongside the singer and knows that suffering personally, refusing to separate joy from acknowledged difficulty. The bridge extends that honesty into hope, promising glory beyond present suffering rather than denying the suffering itself.
A closing verse looks toward final restoration, picturing a seated King, a prepared home, and a promised end to tears, tying present joy to a settled future hope. Rooted in contemporary worship's blend of testimony and declaration, the song repeats its central claim throughout, that the joy of the Lord functions as strength rather than mere emotion, sustaining through hardship toward a promised end.
Related Scripture
- Nehemiah 8:10 States that the joy of the Lord is one's strength, the verse directly quoted throughout the song's chorus.
- Romans 8:18 Describes present sufferings as not worth comparing to future glory, echoed in the song's bridge about glory after present suffering.