Bible Stories That Inspire Us to Be Happier People

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“But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13).

When we think of happiness, we might feel that it something that is so hard to capture. Joy is the deep and abiding presence of contentment, peace and pleasure. We can find our true happiness and joy within Jesus.

The bible is filled with stories of bible characters that found and chose happiness through God. Whether it is after unexpected blessings or through sharing His Good News, these stories focus on how God will always be there for His children. These bible stories will inspire you to become a happier person, by knowing that with God you can do anything. His timing is always right, as long as we trust in Him and follow His word.

Here are five bible stories that will encourage you to seek out joy in the Lord.

Sarah Gets Unexpected Blessings

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Sarah has longed prayed to God to have a child with her husband, Abraham. While she begged Him to let her bare a son, she went years without being able to conceive. Sarah began to move on from her desire to have children and thought it would never happen. One day however, the Lord visited Sarah as He said He would and blessed her with her child, Isaac. Sarah was able to finally find joy in the unexpected and long-awaited blessings of her son. While she of course felt happy after receiving her child, the real joy cam in Sarah’s recognition that God’s timing was best. While life almost always never turns out in the way we expect it to, we have to be on the lookout for God’s timing and His many hidden blessings. God brought Sarah the blessing of her son when she least expected it. God will do so for us, as well.

Paul and Barnabas Share the Good News

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We can obtain joy by spreading the Good News of Jesus’ love, like Paul and Barnabas did in the bible. Paul and Barnabas were asked by God to spread the good news of Jesus' love. They traveled and ministered to people all over to make sure they understood the joy that could only be found in Jesus. We may not travel the world but we can share the love of Jesus with family and friends right where we are. We can find happiness, like the disciples did, in doing so. “And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:49).

Ruth Chooses to Let Go of Idols

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Ruth, the daughter-in-law of the Jewish widow Naomi, was in terrible circumstances for a woman in her day. Her husband, as well as Naomi’s, had died which meant they were without a man or a family to take care of them. The two were left poor, but Naomi had found the Lord. Naomi told Ruth to head back home to her family where she could be remarried. But Ruth had found joy in the God of Naomi. So instead, she chose to continue on with Naomi and her God, rather than go back to the idols of her family’s culture. Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16). Naomi allowed Ruth to accompany her back to Judah where God then honored her by giving her a husband and child. Ruth chose to follow the Lord, who made her happy and she was blessed beyond measure. If we choose to follow Him, we too will be filled with joy and given many blessings.

Joseph Trusts in God

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Joseph had a difficult life at home. Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel, was the apple of his father’s eye. He received his father’s Coat of Many Colors despite him being the youngest of the family. This made brothers angry, so much so that they planned to kill Joseph. The brother’s ultimately sold Joseph into slavery, where he was thrown into a prison for over 13 years. But the Bible says that even though Joseph became a slave, “The Lord was with Joseph so he became a successful man… the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer… and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper” (Genesis 39:2, 21-22). Joseph would not have succeeded in his predicament if he hadn’t kept his full faith in the Lord. He knew God had a plan for his life even when everything pointed the other way. After years of turmoil, Joseph became the second in command over all of Egypt. We should know that even when we are in dark times in our lives, God is planning something much bigger for us. We are able to trust in Him that things will get better.