In His Presence Is Fullness of Joy Psalm 16:11

Psalm 16:11 tells us… in His presence is fullness of joy. In this devotional, we’ll examine this scripture and discover the meaning behind it.

What does it mean in His presence is fullness of joy?

For the answer to this pivotal question, let’s read the Bible Verse that reveals the path to true happiness and fullness of joy…

In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11 NKJV

To fully grasp the meaning of Psalm 16, we need to understand why David wrote this Bible verse in the first place.

When David penned these words, he was facing dire circumstances. He was on the run, hiding out, and waiting for the king’s army to find him and kill him. A painful death seemed absolute.

On the surface that doesn’t sound like a reason to be full of joy.

But David was able to look past the hardship and see the goodness of God.

He understood that true joy doesn’t rely on the outward circumstances we face each day.

Instead, it is a loving relationship with the Creator of the world that gives us a reason to rejoice, even in the worst of times.

That’s why David could say… in Your presence there is fullness of joy!

What does being in the presence of God mean?

Simply being in God’s presence brings joy into our lives.

There is nothing too big for Him to conquer and nothing too small for Him to care about. Whatever comes our way, God and His presence are always with us.

There are two ways God’s presence stays with us.

First, we have an audience with the Ruler of the Universe through prayer. No matter what time of day it is, we can take our troubles to Him and find joy in His presence.

Second, through the power of the Holy Spirit within us, we are in constant contact with our Heavenly Father. He resides in us, and we reside in Him.

It is a blessing from the Lord to reside with Him every day. And because of our belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been granted this great honor.

Here’s how Psalm 21 describes this unending blessing…

Surely you have granted him unending blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

Psalm 21:6 NIV

What is the meaning of fullness of joy?

In the Bible fullness of joy represents rejoicing and gladness. It’s a celebration of who God is and all He does for us every day.

Joy is not a fleeting feeling, here one minute and then gone the next. It has nothing to do with our outward circumstances, or whether or not we feel happiness in the moment.

For Christians, joy is a state of being. Something that remains inside of us no matter what is going on in our lives. And we receive our joy from the Creator of joy, the Lord Jesus.

With gladness and rejoicing, we can enter the presence of God, day or night, and find fullness of joy simply because we know Jesus.

Here’s what Jesus told us about this kind of joy…

But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.

John 17:13 NKJV

This is the prayer Jesus prayed for His disciples and for us… that His joy would be fulfilled in us.

The scriptures impress upon us the importance of building our joy on the truth of who Jesus is. And not on anything we may find in the world.

By putting our faith in Jesus, we have His joy in us. And by trusting in Him as our Savior, our joy is complete.

Jesus is the true meaning of fullness of Joy!

What is the meaning of at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore?

At God’s right hand sits our Savior, Jesus Christ.

In Him, we find salvation, acceptance, and pleasure, in spite of our current circumstances.

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:1 NASB

We have a new life in Christ, one that doesn’t end with physical death.

And in this verse from Colossians 3, the Apostle Paul encourages us to keep seeking heavenly things. These are the things that matter, and the things that will last beyond this life.

All of Psalm 16 points to the birth, death, and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus.

And the “pleasures forevermore” we experience, are the things we’ll have when we’re in heaven with Him for all eternity! They are our reward for a life lived for Jesus.

Psalm 16:11 is a moving scripture of praise and rejoicing. It shows us how to live in Christ Jesus, even though we face hardship and pain in this life.

What does being full of joy mean?

And in my life, I’ve had a great example of how to live out this joyful Bible verse.

My Granny exemplified the meaning of fullness of joy in so many ways.

She was many things, tough, independent, smart, funny, loving and most of all… full of joy.

No matter what life threw at her, she had joy deep within!

At first glance, it doesn’t look like Granny had a lot to be happy about.

She began cleaning houses at eleven years old to pay the family’s rent. By this time, her father was elderly, and her mother was ill. So, it was up to her to provide for the family.

When she was sixteen, Granny got married and had four kids right away. Life looked like it was shaping up.

But tragedy struck her young family. Granny’s daughter died suddenly at only one-month-old. The same year, she lost her grandmother and her mother. The loss of all three in such a short time was devastating.

Years later, tragedy struck again. Her son was murdered. This loss meant two of her four children were gone before their time. The heartbreak was almost unbearable.

The grieving process was hard for Granny. There were many tears shed and memories shared. And there was, yes, laughter.

Granny wasn’t afraid to cry, but she wasn’t afraid to laugh either.

She reminisced about the good times and talked about the bad without fear. She remembered her loved ones who were gone too soon. And she remained joyful in spite of the hardships in her life.

How is it possible to have fullness of joy when everything is against you?

Granny showed me how to do many things in life. But the one I remember most is the way that she shared her joyful spirit with everyone around her.

Like David, she chose to walk with God through every circumstance, good or bad.

Knowing Jesus and walking hand in hand with Him gave her the confidence to live life fully and with joy.

Because she understood the meaning of in His presence there is fullness of joy.

We may not feel joy at times. But we don’t have to look far to find it, because God has promised us that in His presence there is fullness of joy.

If you feel like joy is something out of reach in your life. Enter God’s presence. Pray and ask Him to help you. He will show you the meaning of… in His presence is fullness of joy!