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Japanese One short prayer for healing comes straight from the Bible, in Jeremiah 17:14: “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.” To pray it for someone else, put the person’s name in place of “me.”
We pray for healing alongside the doctor’s care, never instead of it. Keep taking the treatment you have been given, and get medical help at once for sudden or severe symptoms.
Short prayers for healing from the Bible
Several people in Scripture asked for healing in a sentence or two, and we can pray their words just as they stand.
- “Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.” (Psalm 6:2)
- A leper said to Jesus, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Jesus touched him and answered, “I will; be thou clean.” (Matthew 8:2–3)
- A centurion, asking for his sick servant: “Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” (Matthew 8:8)
- The father of a boy who suffered from fits: “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)
- After a recovery: “O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.” (Psalm 30:2)
In Exodus 15:26 God says, “I am the LORD that healeth thee,” and that verse is where the name Jehovah Rapha comes from.
Traditional prayers for healing
The prayer books of the Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox churches all have set prayers for the sick. Where the book prints “N.” or “thy servant,” say the person’s name. The old books write “him”; for a woman, say “her.”
An Anglican prayer for healing
O Almighty God, who art the giver of all health, and the aid of them that turn to thee for succour; We entreat thy strength and goodness in behalf of this thy servant, that he may be healed of his infirmities, to thine honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer (1928), Visitation of the Sick, “A Prayer for Healing,” p. 315
A Catholic prayer for the sick
The Manual of Prayers of 1888, prepared by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, prints this prayer in its rite for visiting the sick, and it is short enough for anyone to say at a bedside.
Almighty and Eternal God, the everlasting Health of them that believe: hear us for Thy sick servant, N., for whom we implore the aid of Thy pitying mercy, that, with his bodily health restored, he may give thanks to Thee in Thy church. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity (1888), The Visitation of the Sick, p. 496
An Orthodox prayer to the Physician of souls and bodies
In the Orthodox service of Holy Unction, each priest says this prayer while he anoints the sick person with oil. In full it also asks the prayers of the Mother of God and of many saints, among them the healing saints Cosmas and Damian. We have shortened it here to its opening and its ending.
O holy Father, Physician of souls and bodies, who didst send thine Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, which healeth every infirmity and delivereth from death: Heal thou, also, thy servant, N., from the ills of body and soul which do hinder him (her), and quicken him (her), by the grace of thy Christ … For thou art the Fountain of healing, O our God, and unto thee do we ascribe glory, together with thine Only-begotten Son, and thy Spirit, one in essence, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Isabel F. Hapgood, Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church (1906), The Office of Holy Unction, p. 346
Short prayers for healing
In these prayers, put the person’s name wherever [name] appears.
For healing of the body
Lord, you know this body better than any doctor does, and you know what is wrong with it. Heal what is sick in me, and give back the strength this illness has taken. Let the treatment work, and let the next results be good. Amen.
For someone you love
Father, [name] is sick, and I cannot make [him or her] well. You can. Heal [name], ease the pain, and give [him or her] rest tonight. Show me what I can do to help, and keep me from wearing myself out with worry. Amen.
For healing and strength
God, I am tired of being ill. Heal me, and until you do, give me strength for today: for the appointments, the medicine and the waiting. Your word says, “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength” (Isaiah 40:29). Do that for me. Amen.
When the pain does not lift
Lord Jesus, the pain is still here. Take it away, if you will. If it stays tonight, give me the peace “which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7), and let me sleep. Amen.
For the doctors and nurses
God of all healing, bless the doctors, nurses and everyone treating [name]. Give them clear judgment, careful hands and time enough to listen. Let the right test be ordered and the right treatment chosen, and let it work. Amen.
When the doctors have run out of treatments
Lord, the doctors say there is little more they can do. Nothing is too hard for you, so we ask you plainly for a miracle: heal [name]. Whatever comes, keep [him or her] from pain and fear, and keep us close to [him or her] and to you. Amen.
For healing of mind and soul
Lord, heal more than my body. This illness has left me afraid, short-tempered and low. Forgive what I have said and done in these weeks, quiet my mind, and give me back the joy I had. “Heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee” (Psalm 41:4). Amen.
In thanks for healing
Thank you, Lord. I asked you for healing, and I am well again. Help me to remember this day, to thank the people who cared for me, and to use my strength well. Amen.
Can you pray for a miracle of healing?
We can, and Scripture records prayers for healing that God answered at once. When King Hezekiah was “sick unto death” and prayed, God sent the prophet Isaiah back to tell him, “I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee” (2 Kings 20:5). And to Jeremiah God said, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).
The churches agree that God can heal, and they differ on how often to expect it. The Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal church, says in its Fundamental Truths that “Divine healing is an integral part of the gospel.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church, for its part, says that the Holy Spirit gives some people “a special charism of healing,” and adds, “But even the most intense prayers do not always obtain the healing of all illnesses” (paragraph 1508).
A prayer for a miracle can be as plain as the leper’s. Many Christians add “if it be thy will,” as Jesus himself prayed on the night before he died: “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). The 1888 Manual of Prayers asks for recovery in just that way in its “Prayer in the Beginning of Sickness”:
Lord, bless all the means that are used for my recovery, and restore me to my health, if it be Thy will, in Thy good time; but if Thou hast appointed otherwise for me, Thy blessed will be done.
A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity (1888), Devotions for the Sick, p. 460
Does healing depend on how much faith you have?
The New Testament does not tie every healing to strong faith. The father in Mark 9 told Jesus that his belief needed help, and Jesus healed his son anyway (Mark 9:24–27). And faithful people were sometimes left ill: Paul asked the Lord three times to take away his “thorn in the flesh,” and the answer he received was “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:8–9). Paul left his companion Trophimus “at Miletum sick” (2 Timothy 4:20). His fellow worker Epaphroditus “was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him” and recovered (Philippians 2:27).
The Catholic Catechism says of Jesus himself, “But he did not heal all the sick” (paragraph 1505). The Assemblies of God’s position paper on divine healing (2010) holds that faith matters, but says that the amount of faith “is not always … determinative,” and that “some are healed instantly, some gradually, and others are not healed.” It also admits, “We do not understand fully why some are healed and others are not.”
Does “by his stripes we are healed” promise physical healing?
The line comes from Isaiah 53:5: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Two New Testament writers use this chapter in different ways. Matthew applies the verse before it to Jesus’ healing of the sick: “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:17). Peter applies the stripes to sin: Christ “bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
The churches read the passage differently. The Assemblies of God teaches that “Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement, and is the privilege of all believers,” and it cites Isaiah 53:4–5, Matthew 8:16–17 and James 5:14–16. The Catholic Catechism quotes Matthew 8:17 as well, but says that Jesus’ healings “announced a more radical healing: the victory over sin and death through his Passover” (paragraph 1505).
Should Christians pray and see a doctor?
Scripture puts prayer and medicine side by side. Even after God promised to heal Hezekiah, Isaiah said, “Take a lump of figs,” and when it was laid on the boil, Hezekiah “recovered” (2 Kings 20:7). Paul told Timothy to “use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23).
Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include the Book of Sirach, which Protestants place among the Apocrypha. Its 38th chapter reads, in the Douay-Rheims translation, “Honour the physician for the need thou hast of him: for the most High hath created him,” and “My son, in thy sickness neglect not thyself, but pray to the Lord, and he shall heal thee” (Sirach 38:1, 9).
The Assemblies of God’s position paper says, “Belief in divine healing neither opposes nor competes with medical doctors.” The 1928 Book of Common Prayer, in its prayer for a time of great sickness, asks God to “give strength and skill to all those who minister to the sick; prosper the means made use of for their cure.”
What does James 5 say about praying for the sick?
James 5:14–15 gives the church’s part: “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.”
Catholics receive the Anointing of the Sick from a priest, and only a priest can give it (Catechism, paragraph 1516). It is not only for the dying: the Catechism says it “is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death” (paragraph 1514), and a patient can be anointed before a serious operation. Orthodox Christians ask their priest for Holy Unction, the service in which the prayer to the “Physician of souls and bodies” is said. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer has an office of “Unction of the Sick” for anyone who asks for “the ministry of healing through Anointing or Laying on of Hands.” In many Protestant churches a sick person asks the pastor or elders to pray, as James directs; the Assemblies of God’s position paper says that “anyone who is sick may request prayer for healing.”
Prayer for Divine Intervention
Here we ask God to step in directly, by a miracle, when someone is sick, and to let his power overrule the natural course of the illness and bring a healing that only he can give.
Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth,
We come before You today with a desperate heart, asking for Your divine intervention in this sickness. We know that You are the God of miracles, and nothing is too difficult for You. Man’s understanding has its limits, but Your power knows no bounds.
We ask You, Lord, to reach down Your mighty hand and touch [Name of person or “us/me”] with Your healing power. Where doctors may see no way, You can make a way. Where sickness seems to have taken hold, we pray for Your power to break through and bring complete healing.
We believe in Your ability to change things in an instant, to bring life where there is despair. Please, Father, intervene with Your miraculous healing. We lay this situation at Your feet, trusting in Your love and Your power to do what seems impossible to us.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
To pray like this takes great faith. We are calling on God to show his sovereign and compassionate power, and we are holding on to hope for a miracle. In Jeremiah 32:27 the Lord says, “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”
Prayer for Complete Restoration
This prayer asks God for more than improvement. It asks him, in hope, to restore health completely, so that body, mind and spirit are made entirely whole and free of the illness.
Gracious God, our Restorer,
We come to You today seeking more than just relief; we pray for complete restoration for [Name of person or “us/me”]. You are the one who knits us together in our mother’s womb, and You know every part of our being. We ask You to restore what sickness has damaged or taken away.
We pray for every cell, every tissue, every organ to be renewed and made whole. We ask for strength to return to weary limbs, clarity to troubled minds, and peace to anxious hearts. Restore energy, vitality, and the fullness of health.
Lord, we desire to see [Name/us/me] not just better, but fully well, able to live life to the fullest as You intended. We trust in Your power to bring about this complete healing and make all things new.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
In it we tell God how deeply we long to be whole, and we trust him as the God who can make things new. In Joel 2:25 he speaks of restoring what was lost: “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten.”
Prayer for Unwavering Faith
Here we ask God to strengthen our faith, or the faith of the one who is sick, so that we go on believing in his power to heal, strong and unshaken, whatever happens.
Lord, Author and Perfecter of our faith,
In this time of illness and uncertainty, we pray for the gift of unwavering faith. Help us, and especially [Name of person or “us/me”], to hold fast to the belief that You are able, and You are willing, to bring miraculous healing.
When doubts creep in, when fear tries to take hold, strengthen our conviction in Your goodness and Your mighty power. Let our faith not be based on what we see, but on who You are – the God of miracles, the loving Father.
Increase our faith, Lord, to believe for the impossible. Help us to trust Your promises and to stand firm in the hope of Your healing touch. May our faith be a channel through which Your miraculous power can flow.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
We ask for faith because it is by faith that we come to God for a miracle at all. Hebrews 11:1 defines it as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Prayer for the Healer’s Touch
In the Gospels Jesus healed people by touching them, and this prayer asks him for that same direct, personal, powerful and compassionate touch to bring healing today.
Lord Jesus, Great Physician,
We come to You just as people did in biblical times, seeking Your healing touch. We remember how You laid Your hands on the sick, and they were made well. We ask You now to extend Your compassionate hand and touch [Name of person or “us/me”].
Let Your healing virtue flow into every part of their being that is afflicted. Where there is pain, bring Your soothing touch. Where there is disease, bring Your cleansing touch. Where there is weakness, bring Your strengthening touch.
We believe that there is power in Your touch, Lord, power to heal, power to restore, power to make whole. We yearn for that miraculous touch today. Reach out, Lord Jesus, and heal.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When we ask for the “Healer’s touch”, we bring today’s need to the same Jesus, whose power to heal has not changed. Matthew 8:3 describes him reaching out his hand and touching a man with leprosy, saying, “I am willing… Be clean!” And immediately he was cleansed.
Prayer for Overcoming the Impossible
Some illnesses seem medically impossible to cure, beyond any human remedy. This prayer appeals to God’s limitless power to overcome what looks like a crisis nobody can get past.
God of the Impossible,
We stand before You today facing a situation that seems overwhelming, a sickness that feels too big to overcome. Medically, the odds may be stacked against us, and hope may seem faint. But we know that with You, all things are possible.
We pray for Your miraculous intervention to turn this impossible situation around. Do what no human power can do, Lord. We ask You to defy expectations, to rewrite the prognosis, and to bring forth a testimony of Your incredible power.
Strengthen our hearts to believe in You when everything around us shouts “impossible.” You are the God who parts seas and raises the dead. We trust You to work a miracle in this situation too, for Your glory.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
To ask this takes a bold faith that holds on to God’s power beyond every human limit, as Luke 18:27 reminds us, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Prayer for Strength in Sickness
While we wait for healing, this prayer asks God to give the sick person a strength that only he can give, in body, in heart and in spirit. Then they can bear the trial of illness with grace and keep going.
Almighty God, our Strength and Shield,
We lift up [Name of person or “us/me”] to You today, asking for a special measure of Your strength during this time of sickness. The body is weak, and the spirit can grow weary. We pray You would pour out Your divine strength.
Give physical strength to endure the pain and discomfort. Give emotional strength to combat fear, anxiety, and discouragement. Give spiritual strength to hold onto faith and hope in You. May Your presence be a source of unyielding power.
Help [Name/us/me] to feel Your strong arms carrying them when they feel they cannot go on. May they find that even in their weakness, Your strength is made perfect. Sustain them, Lord, with Your mighty hand.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Illness can last a long time and be very hard, and we need God’s strength to endure it and stand firm. Isaiah 40:29 promises, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”
Prayer for Peace Amidst Pain
Even when the pain goes on, God can fill the heart and mind of the one who suffers with his own peace. This prayer asks for that peace, the kind that passes understanding.
Prince of Peace,
In the midst of this suffering and pain, we desperately seek Your peace. The body aches, and the heart is troubled. We ask You, Lord, to bestow Your divine peace that transcends all human understanding upon [Name of person or “us/me”].
Calm the storms of fear and anxiety. Still the restless thoughts and grant a serenity that can only come from You. Even if the pain lingers, may Your peace be a constant presence, a comforting blanket over the soul.
Let [Name/us/me] feel Your nearness and the assurance that You are in control, even in this difficult time. May Your peace guard their heart and mind, providing a sanctuary of calm in the midst of the trial.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
We are asking for a calm deep inside that can carry a person through suffering of the body, the peace Philippians 4:7 speaks of: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer for Medical Wisdom and Miracles
Doctors and nurses have their part in healing, and this prayer thanks God for them while asking him to give them exceptional wisdom and to work his miracle, perhaps through their hands, perhaps beyond anything they expect.
God of all Wisdom and Power,
We thank You for the knowledge and skill You have given to doctors and medical professionals. We pray now that You would grant them extraordinary wisdom, insight, and skill as they care for [Name of person or “us/me”]. Guide their thoughts, their hands, and their decisions.
And Lord, beyond human skill, we ask for Your miracle. We pray that You would work through the treatments, or even apart from them, to bring about a healing that amazes everyone. May the medical team be witnesses to Your incredible power.
Bless their efforts, and multiply their effectiveness. We ask for a perfect combination of human skill guided by divine wisdom, leading to a miraculous and complete recovery.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
We trust God’s power to work miracles, and we are grateful for medical science. Here we ask for the two to work together for healing, remembering Proverbs 2:6, “For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
Prayer for Healing of Body and Soul
Here we ask for a miracle for the whole person, the body and also the soul and spirit within, so that they are healed and at peace in every part.
Compassionate Father, Healer of body and soul,
We come to You today seeking a miracle of healing for [Name of person or “us/me”] that touches every part of their being. We pray for the healing of the physical body, for diseases to leave, for pain to cease, and for strength to be restored.
But we also pray for the healing of the soul and spirit. If there is any fear, anxiety, bitterness, or despair, we ask You to bring Your healing touch to those inner wounds. Pour in Your peace, Your comfort, and Your love.
Make [Name/us/me] whole, Lord, in every way. Restore joy, renew hope, and refresh their spirit. May this miracle of healing be a testament to Your complete and loving care for us, body, soul, and spirit.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Being truly well means more than a healthy body, and John wished exactly that for his friend in 3 John 1:2: “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”
Prayer for Claiming God’s Promises
In this prayer we come to God with confidence and ask for a miracle of healing. We recall the promises he has made in the Bible about healing and his power, and we “claim” them.
Faithful God, True to Your Word,
We come before You today, not based on our own merit, but standing on the promises You have given us in Your Holy Word. You have revealed Yourself as Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals. Your Word is filled with accounts of Your miraculous healing power.
We claim promises like Isaiah 53:5, “by His stripes we are healed,” and Jeremiah 17:14, “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” We believe Your Word is true and that Your promises are for us today.
Therefore, with faith, we ask You to fulfill Your promises in the life of [Name of person or “us/me”]. Perform a miracle of healing according to Your Word. Let Your faithfulness be seen and Your name glorified.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When we pray God’s promises back to him, we bring our requests into line with the will he has shown us, and our faith rests on his Word. As 2 Corinthians 1:20 declares, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.”
Prayer for Deliverance from Illness
This is a cry to God for deliverance. We ask him to work a miracle and free the sick person from the grip of the illness and all it has done to them, and to give them back their health and their freedom.
Lord God, our Deliverer,
We call upon You today in urgent need, asking You to deliver [Name of person or “us/me”] from this illness that binds them. Sickness has taken hold, and we pray for You to break its power and set them free.
Just as You delivered Your people of old from their troubles, we ask You to deliver [Name/us/me] from this affliction. Release them from pain, from weakness, from every symptom and every root of this disease. Lead them out of this valley of sickness into the full light of health and strength.
We trust in Your mighty power to save and to deliver. Be their strong deliverer today, Lord. We look to You for this miracle of freedom from illness.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
We are appealing to the God who sets people free, asking him to step in and rescue the one who suffers. Psalm 34:17 says, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”
Prayer for Renewed Hope and Life
Illness can dim hope as well as health. This prayer asks for a miracle that heals the body and renews hope too, giving the person a fresh sense of life, purpose and joy.
God of Hope and Life,
We come to You seeking a miracle that breathes new life and fresh hope into [Name of person or “us/me”]. This illness has cast a shadow, perhaps dimming the light of hope and the joy of living. We ask You to miraculously change that.
Heal the body, Lord, but also renew the spirit. Pour out Your living water to refresh their soul. Restore not only health but also a vibrant sense of hope for the future, a renewed passion for life, and a deep awareness of Your goodness.
May this miracle of healing be a powerful reawakening, a new beginning filled with Your blessings, energy, and purpose. Let them step forward with renewed vitality, ready to embrace the abundant life You offer.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
We are asking for a miracle that reaches the spirit as much as the body and opens a fuller life in God’s blessings. Romans 15:13 is itself a prayer for it: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
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