A short prayer for healing and strength
Lord, You know what is wrong in my body and what I am afraid of. Please heal me. Guide everyone caring for me.
Whatever today brings, give me strength for it, and let Your grace be enough for me in my weakness. I trust You with what I cannot control. Amen.
How to pray for healing
Praying for healing can stir up hope and fear at the same time. You can ask God boldly for healing and still be honest about how hard the waiting is. These steps can help you pray -- for yourself or for someone you love -- without feeling you have to get the words exactly right.
Ask God plainly for healing
When blind Bartimaeus called out to Him, Jesus asked, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" (Mark 10:51). God invites you to say what you want. "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed" (Jeremiah 17:14) is a prayer you can make your own.
Pray for the people caring for you
Ask God to give wisdom, skill and patience to your doctors, nurses and carers, and clarity in every decision. Medical care is one of the ways God works, not something in competition with prayer.
Be honest about the fear and the waiting
"Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me" (Psalm 6:2). Waiting for results, a diagnosis or recovery is hard. Tell God how you really feel about it.
Ask for strength for today, not only a cure
Alongside praying for healing, pray for what you need to get through this day -- rest, courage, relief from pain, patience. God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Invite others to pray with you
"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church" (James 5:14). Let your church, your family and friends know what to pray for. Being prayed for by others is part of how God cares for the sick.
Leave the outcome in God's hands
In Gethsemane, Jesus asked for the cup to pass from Him, then prayed, "nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). You can ask with all your heart and still trust God with the answer.
A prayer for healing
Lord, You are the God who heals. I bring my body, my mind and my spirit to You now. Where there is sickness, bring healing. Where there is pain, bring relief. Where there is fear, bring Your peace.
Give wisdom to the doctors and nurses who care for me, and give me strength for each day. I trust You with what I cannot control. Amen.
A prayer for healing for a loved one
Father, I lift up someone I love who is sick. You know them by name, and You love them even more than I do.
Touch their body with Your healing. Comfort them when they are afraid, and surround them with care. Give me the strength to be present for them, and help us both to rest in You. Amen.
A prayer for a sick mother or father
Lord, my mother or father is unwell, and it is hard to see the one who cared for me now needing care. You have known them all their life, and You love them more than I can.
Bring healing to their body, ease their pain, and calm their fears. Give wisdom to their doctors, and give our family patience and unity in caring for them. Help me honor them well in this season. Amen.
A prayer before surgery
Lord Jesus, I place this surgery in Your hands. Guide the hands of every surgeon, anesthetist and nurse, and give them clear minds and steady skill.
Keep me safe while I sleep, and calm my fears as I wait. Watch over my family while they wait for news. Whatever happens, I am Yours. Amen.
A prayer after surgery
Father, thank You for bringing me through surgery. Now I ask You to heal what has been repaired and to restore my strength day by day.
Ease the pain, protect me from complications, and help me be patient with my body as it recovers. Bless everyone caring for me, and remind me that You are with me through every step. Amen.
A prayer while waiting for test results or a diagnosis
Lord, I am waiting to hear what is wrong, and my mind keeps running ahead to the worst. You already know what the results will say.
Give me peace while I wait, and courage when the answer comes. Whatever we learn, remind me that I will not face it alone, because You will be there before me. Amen.
A prayer for a sick child
Father, my child is sick, and I would carry this for them if I could. You love them even more than I do.
Please heal their body and calm their fears. Give the doctors wisdom and give me strength, patience and rest. Hold our family together, and let my child feel safe and loved through all of it. Amen.
A prayer for a long illness or slow recovery
Lord, this has gone on longer than I hoped. I am tired of being unwell, tired of appointments, and tired of waiting to feel like myself again.
Renew my strength when I feel worn down. Help me notice small improvements and small mercies. Where healing is slow, give me patience; where it does not come as I hoped, let Your grace be enough for me. Amen.
What James 5:14-15 teaches about praying for the sick
Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
James 5:14-15 (KJV)
James pictures a sick person who does not suffer alone. They "call for the elders of the church" -- the people responsible for caring for the congregation -- and those leaders come and pray over them. Praying for healing is meant to happen in community, not in isolation.
The oil had more than one meaning. In the ancient world oil was used as medicine -- the Good Samaritan poured "oil and wine" on the wounded man's injuries (Luke 10:34). It was also a sign of setting someone apart for God. Many churches still anoint the sick with oil today, joining prayer, care and God's presence together.
James says "the Lord shall raise him up." The healing comes from God, not from the oil or the words. The mention of sins is an "if," not an accusation. Jesus Himself rejected the idea that sickness is always caused by someone's sin: "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents" (John 9:3).
Scripture is also honest that faithful people are not always healed in this life. Paul prayed three times for his "thorn in the flesh" to be removed, and God answered, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul also left his co-worker Trophimus "at Miletum sick" (2 Timothy 4:20).
So we pray for healing boldly and with faith, and we trust God when the answer is slower or different than we hoped. Every prayer for healing looks toward the day when "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain" (Revelation 21:4).
Would you like a pastor to pray with you for healing?
You can start a private voice call or chat and share what you or your loved one is facing -- the illness, the treatment, the waiting, the fear. If a pastor is online, you are connected with them; if none is available, an AI prayer companion answers instead.
You might pray together for healing, for the doctors and care team, for strength, peace and rest, and for your family. Prayer here is spiritual support and never a replacement for medical care -- please keep following your doctors' advice. If you would like to be anointed with oil, as James 5 describes, your local church can arrange that in person.
Bible Verses to Hold On To
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
Jeremiah 17:14 (KJV)
He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3 (KJV)
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:16 (KJV)
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.
Psalm 103:2-3 (KJV)
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV)
Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
Psalm 6:2 (KJV)
Common Questions
Does God still heal today?
Christians believe that God can and does heal -- sometimes through medicine and the skill of doctors, sometimes through recovery that surprises everyone, and sometimes in ways we did not ask for, such as peace, strength or reconciliation. Scripture invites us to keep asking: "pray one for another, that ye may be healed" (James 5:16).
If I am not healed, does that mean my faith is too weak?
No. Faithful people in the Bible were not always healed. Paul prayed three times for his own affliction to be removed and was told, "My grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Corinthians 12:9). He left his friend Trophimus sick (2 Timothy 4:20) and advised Timothy about his "often infirmities" (1 Timothy 5:23). Illness is not a verdict on your faith.
Should I stop medical treatment if I am praying for healing?
No. Prayer and medical care belong together. Luke, who wrote one of the Gospels, was a physician, and Jesus Himself said, "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick" (Matthew 9:12). Please do not stop or change any treatment without talking to your doctor.
What does anointing with oil mean, and can I receive it?
In James 5:14, church elders anoint the sick with oil as they pray -- a sign of God's care and presence. Many churches still practice this. It needs to happen in person, so ask a pastor or elder at your local church; they will usually be glad to come and pray with you.
Can someone pray with me for healing right now?
Yes. You can start a private voice call or chat on Pray with Christ at any hour, and your first call and chat are free. You are connected with a pastor when one is online, or an AI prayer companion when none is. If you or someone near you needs urgent medical help, contact emergency services first.
Prayer works alongside medical care, not instead of it. Please keep following the advice of your doctors and care team.
If you are in crisis, please contact local emergency services or a crisis hotline right away -- you can find a free helpline in your country. See also our Safety Notice.