Joy, as CS Lewis knew very well, is different from happiness or pleasure. It was, in his mind, a definite spiritual experience which connects us to God. In one of his letters, he wrote: "It jumps under one's ribs and tickles down one's back and makes one forget meals and keeps one (delightedly) sleepless o' nights... My private table is one second of joy is worth 12 hours of pleasure."
Elsewhere he says joy is "an unsatisfied desire which itself is more desirable than any other satisfaction".
For Lewis – a scholar, poet and author of The Screwtape Letters and the Narnia chronicles – joy in music, food, art or beauty points us beyond the thing itself to God. It's a signpost, or a foretaste, of what's to come. Joy is a promise.
Here are 10 Bible verses about joy.
1. "Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth." (1 Chronicles 16:33)
2. "This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)
3. "He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." (Job 8:21)
4. "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:11)
5. "The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes." (Psalm 19:8)
6. "Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart." (Psalm 97:11)
7. "Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy." (Proverbs 14:10)
8. "Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you." (Isaiah 12:6)
9. "Go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples." (Matthew 28:7-8)
10. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 6:22-23)
Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
