This page gives you Bible verses and short prayers to read on Easter morning, whether you are waking early for sunrise service, sitting quietly before the house wakes up, or simply wanting the day to begin with the resurrection in view. The verses are grouped by the moods Easter morning often brings: joy, quiet hope, gratitude and sending out. Each one comes with a reflection and a way to carry it into the day.
Verses for Joy That Has Been Waiting Since Friday
Some Easter mornings arrive after a long and heavy week, and joy feels slow to return. These verses speak to that moment, when the good news is still settling into the heart. Read them slowly and let them go first, before the phone and the schedule do.
Psalm 118:24
This is the day that the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!
(WEB)
This is a psalm of praise sung by people who had learned that God’s steadfast love outlasts every sorrow. On Easter morning, name one specific gift the Lord has given this week, then say it aloud as your first act of rejoicing before the day’s busyness begins.
Luke 24:5-6
5 Becoming terrified, they bowed their faces down to the earth. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He isn’t here, but is risen. Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee…
(WEB)
The women at the tomb were asked a question that changed their grief into understanding. Ask yourself where you have been looking for the living among the dead, whether in worry, regret or old fears, and turn that place over to the One who has risen.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
55 “Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(WEB)
Paul speaks of death as a defeated enemy and of victory given through Jesus Christ. If a fear is pressing on you this morning, write one sentence naming it, then write beside it the word “defeated,” so the verse answers your fear directly.
Verses for Quiet Hope Before the Day Begins
Easter morning is also a time of stillness, when the first light comes over the rooftops and the world has not yet asked anything of you. These verses are meant for that hush. They help you hold hope without rushing to feel a particular way.
Psalm 30:5
For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
(WEB)
The psalmist knew nights of weeping and the mornings that followed them. If you are still carrying something tender from the past week, let this verse remind you that the night is real but not final. Breathe slowly and tell God one thing you are waiting for him to meet at dawn.
Lamentations 3:22-23
22 It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail. 23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
(WEB)
These lines were written in ruins, yet they speak of mercies that are new each morning. Before you get up, remind yourself that today’s mercy is already on its way. Place your feet on the floor and say, “Your faithfulness is new this morning.”
Mark 16:2
Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
(WEB)
The women went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, bringing their spices and their sorrow. Their early walk is an invitation to bring your own early, unfinished feelings to God rather than waiting until you feel ready. Walk to a window or step outside for a minute and simply go to him as you are.
Romans 6:4
We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
(WEB)
Paul describes the risen life as a new way of walking. Consider one habit or pattern from the past that you would like to leave behind this year. Name it quietly, then ask for the strength to walk in the newness Christ gives.
Verses of Gratitude for the Empty Tomb
Easter is more than a feeling; it is a true event that changed everything. These verses turn your attention to what God has done, so that gratitude can rise naturally as you prepare for the gathering or the table ahead.
Ephesians 1:19-20
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 20 which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places…
(WEB)
Paul prays that believers would know the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. When you feel small or tired this morning, remember that this is the strength at work in your life. Speak one sentence of thanks for the power that holds you, not because you have earned it.
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…
(WEB)
Peter praises God for a living hope that comes through the resurrection. Think of one thing you are still hoping for that feels uncertain. Write it on a card and set it beside your Bible, as a reminder that your hope rests on something alive.
Psalm 107:1
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.
(WEB)
This simple call to give thanks is grounded in God’s good character. Before you eat or speak to anyone else today, list three people whose presence has blessed you recently, and thank God for each by name as a small act of worship.
Colossians 3:1-2
1 If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth.
(WEB)
Paul tells believers to set their minds on things above because they have been raised with Christ. Pause before the first task of the day and choose one thought to lift up, perhaps the cross or the empty tomb, and let it shape how you move through the morning.
Verses for Going Out Into the Day
Easter morning does not end at the church door or the kitchen table. These verses send you into ordinary hours with the news that Christ is alive, equipped to speak and serve with ease and courage.
Matthew 28:6
He is not here, for he has risen, just like he said. Come, see the place where the Lord was lying.
(WEB)
The angel’s message to the women is short and direct: he is not here, for he has risen. Carry that sentence with you into conversations today. You do not need a speech; you only need to remember that the story you tell is one about a living Lord.
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
(WEB)
The risen Jesus sends his followers out with the promise that he is with them always. If someone comes to mind as you read, pray for a single opportunity to show kindness to them this week, trusting that he will go before you.
Acts 2:32
This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses.
(WEB)
Peter’s first sermon centers on a plain claim: God raised Jesus, and the apostles are witnesses. Think about one moment you have seen God’s faithfulness in your own life. Tell that story to someone today, in a sentence or two, as your own quiet witness.
John 20:21
Jesus therefore said to them again, “Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.”
(WEB)
Jesus speaks peace and then sends his disciples. Notice that the sending follows the peace. Before you go out, receive that peace in your own heart, so that you carry it into your work, home and friendships rather than striving to produce it there.
How to Use These Verses
You might copy two or three of these verses onto an index card, a note on your phone or the inside cover of your Bible. Read them at the start of the morning, once slowly and once more with a pause after each line. Writing them by hand helps them stay with you when the day gets loud.
You can also pray them as you read. Turn each verse into a sentence addressed to God, such as “Lord, you have risen, so I can trust you with this today.” Choose one verse to return to at noon or in the evening, and let it be the thread that ties the day back to the empty tomb.
A Short Prayer for Easter Morning
Lord Jesus, you rose from the grave on the first Easter morning, and the stone was rolled away so that we might see that death does not have the final word. Thank you for the joy you bring when our hearts are heavy and the hope you give when we are not sure what the day will hold. Meet us in the quiet before the rush, and let the good news settle deep within us. Help us to carry your peace into every room we enter and every person we meet. We give you this day, trusting that you are alive and at work in it. Amen.
A Blessing
May the risen Christ go before you into this day and walk beside you through every hour. May his peace guard your heart, his joy steady your steps, and his love make you bright for the people you meet. Go in the light of the resurrection, knowing that you are held.
