A prayer for physical, emotional, or spiritual healing — grounded in God's character as the great Physician.
Lord Jesus, great Physician, I bring (name) before you. Touch them with your healing hand. By your stripes, may they be healed. Whatever your will, give grace, faith, and peace. In your name, Amen.
Pray this prayer before a medical procedure, upon receiving a diagnosis, at the bedside of someone you love who is sick, during your own illness or chronic condition, when battling depression or anxiety (these too are conditions God heals), or anytime over the long haul of an extended suffering when faith needs to be renewed daily.
Christian prayer for healing rests on the consistent biblical teaching that God is the source of healing. The Hebrew name Yahweh-Rapha — 'the LORD who heals' — is one of God's covenant names (Exodus 15:26). Jesus's ministry was characterized by healing — the gospel writers record him healing every kind of disease and physical suffering. The pattern continued through the apostles (Acts 3, 9, 14). James 5:14-15 directly commands: 'Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.' At the same time, Scripture is honest that healing is not guaranteed in every instance in this life. Paul prayed three times for healing of his 'thorn in the flesh' and received the answer 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness' (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). The biblical pattern holds two truths together: God heals; and God's purposes in suffering are sometimes greater than immediate physical relief. The believer prays for healing in both confidence (God is able) and submission (his will is good even if his answer is different than expected).
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits — who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.”
“He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”
Foundational text — Christ's atonement includes healing.
“Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages... healing every disease and every affliction.”
“But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'”
Paul's experience when healing was not granted.
Yes — Christian belief affirms that God still heals today. The biblical promise of healing (James 5:14-15) is not limited to the apostolic era. Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal, and many Protestant Christians have documented healing miracles throughout church history, including the present day. Lourdes alone has produced 70 medically verified healings (with extraordinarily rigorous evidence required by the Lourdes Medical Bureau). At the same time, healing is not guaranteed in every instance — Paul's experience with his 'thorn in the flesh' (2 Corinthians 12) shows that sometimes God's answer is sustaining grace rather than removal of suffering.
Isaiah 53:5 is the foundational verse — 'by his stripes we are healed.' James 5:14-15 directly commands prayer for the sick. Psalm 103:2-3 promises that God 'heals all your diseases.' Jeremiah 17:14 — 'Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed.' Exodus 15:26 reveals God as Yahweh-Rapha, 'the LORD who heals you.' For a list of verses to pray over a sick person, see our collection of Bible verses about healing.
Pray Scripture over them (name God's promises of healing back to him), pray specifically (name the disease, the symptoms, the need), pray in faith (trust that God is able), pray in submission (trust that whatever his answer, his will is good), pray for the medical team, pray for the patient's spirit and courage, pray for those who care for them, and keep praying — long-term suffering needs long-term prayer. James 5:14 specifically encourages calling church elders to pray and anoint with oil.
Scripture does not give a complete answer to this question, but it gives several pointers: (1) Suffering can shape character (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4). (2) Suffering can magnify dependence on God (2 Corinthians 12:9 — Paul's 'thorn'). (3) Suffering can be a witness to others (Paul's chains 'advanced the gospel,' Philippians 1:12). (4) Full healing belongs to the resurrection — every Christian will be fully healed at Christ's return (Revelation 21:4). (5) Sometimes God's reasons are simply not revealed in this life (Job). The believer holds these truths together: God is good, God is able, and God's purposes in our unhealed suffering are beyond our seeing.