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Japanese Here is a short prayer for a sick brother: “Lord Jesus, my brother [name] is sick. Ease his pain, give his doctors skill, and bring him back to health. Keep him from fear, and keep our family close to him. Amen.” We can pray it with the psalm’s promise in mind, “The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing” (Psalm 41:3).
Prayer goes alongside his doctors’ care and never replaces it, so if he suddenly gets worse, call his doctor or emergency services first.
Traditional prayers for a sick brother
Each of the main churches has a prayer for the sick in its older prayer books. These prayers speak of “thy servant,” and a brother or sister can say “my brother,” or his name, in its place.
From the Book of Common Prayer
The Episcopal Church’s prayer book of 1928 gives this prayer “For a Sick Person.” Say his name where the book prints [N.].
O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need; We humbly beseech thee to behold, visit, and relieve thy sick servant [N.] for whom our prayers are desired. Look upon him with the eyes of thy mercy; comfort him with a sense of thy goodness; preserve him from the temptations of the enemy; and give him patience under his affliction. In thy good time, restore him to health, and enable him to lead the residue of his life in thy fear, and to thy glory; and grant that finally he may dwell with thee in life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer (1928), Prayers and Thanksgivings, “For a Sick Person,” p. 45
A Catholic prayer for the sick
A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity, published in 1888 by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, lists this prayer “For the Sick,” which asks for his health and for the chance to thank God for it in church.
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 (1888), The Visitation of the Sick, p. 496
An Orthodox hymn for the sick
The Orthodox service of Holy Unction, the anointing of the sick, includes this short hymn, which can also be said at home as a prayer. Isabel Hapgood’s English translation of 1906 prints it with “him (her)” throughout; for a brother, say “him.”
O Physician and Helper of the suffering, O Redeemer and Saviour of the sick: Do thou, the same Master and Lord of all, grant healing unto thy sick servant. Show compassion, have mercy upon him who hath grievously sinned. And deliver him, O Christ, from his iniquities, that he may glorify thy might divine.
Hapgood, Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church (1906), The Office of Holy Unction, pp. 336–337
Prayers for a sick brother at particular times
Before a test, a scan or an operation
Lord, my brother goes in today, and we will not know the results for a while. Keep him calm through the waiting and the needles. Guide the hands of the people doing the test, and let the results be clear enough to show the doctors what to do next. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee (Psalm 56:3). Amen.
If he is having an operation, there are more prayers for the night before, the morning itself and the waiting room in prayers before surgery.
For a night in hospital
Father, my brother is lying in a ward tonight, away from his own bed, with machines and strangers around him. Ease his pain enough for him to sleep, send the night nurses when he needs them, and let him wake up rested. You do not sleep: “he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4). Watch over him until morning. Amen.
The 1928 Book of Common Prayer has a short evening prayer that fits the same night:
Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer (1928), Evening Prayer, “A Collect for Aid against Perils,” p. 31
When he is afraid
Jesus, my brother is frightened of what the doctors will say and of what comes after. Come close to him in the middle of it. Your word says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18), and “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Give him that sound mind tonight, and a steady heart for the next conversation. Amen.
For his doctors and nurses
God, thank you for the people looking after my brother. Give his doctors wisdom to find what is wrong and to choose the right treatment. Keep the nurses patient and watchful, even at the end of a long shift. You promised wisdom to anyone who asks: “it shall be given him” (James 1:5). Give it to them. Amen.
When recovery is slow
Lord, my brother is tired of being ill, and so are we. Every setback feels like the start again. Give him patience with his body and with the treatment, and hope that does not depend on a good day. “The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him” (Lamentations 3:25). Your word promises that “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). Renew his a little at a time. Amen.
When he has no faith of his own
Jesus, my brother does not pray, and he may not believe you hear him. When four men carried their paralyzed friend to you, you saw “their faith,” forgave his sins and made him walk (Mark 2:3–12). Let our prayers carry my brother to you now. Heal his body, and show him that you are near. Amen.
For the family
Father of mercies and God of all comfort, this illness has worn out our whole family. We are tired, we are worried, and we snap at each other. Give us patience with one another, sleep when we can take it, and the strength to share the visits and the work. Comfort us so that we can comfort him, as your word says you comfort us “that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble” (2 Corinthians 1:4). Amen.
In thanks when he is better
God, thank you for my brother, for every year we have had together, and for bringing him through this. Thank you for the doctors and nurses, and for everyone who prayed. Help him to use his returning strength well. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: … who healeth all thy diseases” (Psalm 103:2–3). Amen.
A sister’s prayer for her brother
John’s Gospel tells of two sisters, Martha and Mary of Bethany, whose brother Lazarus fell ill. The message they sent to Jesus was a single sentence: “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick” (John 11:3). John adds, “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus” (John 11:5). Lazarus died before Jesus came, and he had “lain in the grave four days already” (John 11:17) when Jesus raised him from the dead. A sister can pray in the same words:
Lord Jesus, he whom you love is sick. You know my brother better than I do, and you love him more than I can. Come to him as you came to Lazarus. Make him well, and give me the patience Martha and Mary needed while they waited for you. Amen.
What the Bible says about praying for a brother
“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity,” says Proverbs 17:17. James tells Christians to pray for the sick and for one another: “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” (James 5:14–15). And in the next verse he adds, “pray one for another, that ye may be healed” (James 5:16).
Can he be anointed, or prayed for by name at church?
The churches that anoint the sick take the practice from James 5:14–15.
- Catholics can ask a priest for the Anointing of the Sick. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says it “is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death” (paragraph 1514), that it can be repeated if an illness gets worse (1515), and that only priests can give it (1516).
- Orthodox Christians can ask their priest for Holy Unction. Hapgood’s service book explains that it is performed “only over sick persons,” that it heals ills “both those of the soul and those of the body,” and that it “may be repeated.” The family can also give his name to the priest, to be remembered at the Divine Liturgy. In the preparation before the Liturgy, the Orthodox Church in America explains, pieces of bread are set out for the faithful “both living and dead,” with “particular mention by name” of those the parish remembers. The St Elisabeth Convent in Minsk asks parishioners to hand in the names of the living and of the dead on separate notes, and to head the note for the living “For health” (O zdravii).
- Protestants can ask their pastor or church elders to visit and pray, as James 5:14 describes. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer includes a short office of “Unction of the Sick,” for “any sick person” who “shall in humble faith desire the ministry of healing through Anointing or Laying on of Hands” (p. 320).
Can you ask a saint to pray for your brother?
Catholic and Orthodox Christians do ask the saints to pray for them. The Orthodox Church in America says that the martyr Panteleimon, a physician who treated the sick “without charge,” is invoked “in the Mystery of Anointing the Sick, at the Blessing of Water, and in the Prayers for the Sick.” The service of Holy Unction addresses him in these words: “O holy Endurer of Pain, and Healer, Panteleimon, beseech thou the merciful God that he will grant remission of sins unto our souls” (Hapgood, p. 341).
Most Protestants pray to God alone, and the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) says that worship is to be given to God “and to him alone: not to angels, saints, or any other creature.” Christians of every tradition, though, pray to God directly for the sick.
Is there a strongest prayer or a protective charm for a brother?
There is no strongest prayer, because no prayer works by its wording alone. Jesus told his disciples, “when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:7). The law of Moses forbids “a charmer” among God’s people (Deuteronomy 18:11). The Catholic Catechism calls it superstition “to attribute the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance” (paragraph 2111), and it rejects magic “even if this were for the sake of restoring their health,” adding, “Wearing charms is also reprehensible” (paragraph 2117).
Prayer for Physical Healing
Here we ask God, the Great Physician, to act for our brother himself: to touch his body, mend what is broken and work the miracle of physical healing.
Heavenly Father, we come before You with humble hearts, lifting up my dear brother to You. We know You are the source of all life and healing, and Your power is greater than any sickness. We ask, Lord, that You would lay Your healing hands upon him. Where there is pain, bring Your peace. Where there is disease, bring Your purity and strength.
We ask that You would restore his body from the inside out. Guide the hands and minds of his doctors and nurses, granting them wisdom and skill, but we know that You are the ultimate healer. We stand on Your promise in Jeremiah 30:17, which says, “‘But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord.” We claim this powerful promise over my brother’s life today.
Please mend what is broken and make him whole again. Remove every trace of this illness from his system and renew his strength like the eagle’s. We place our complete trust in Your mercy and Your power to make all things new. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
We pray it in faith, putting our brother’s well-being into the loving hands of the One who made him and cares for him deeply, and we go on trusting God’s power to restore his health.
Prayer for Strength and Courage
When the body is weak the spirit can tire too, so this prayer asks God to pour strength and courage into our brother’s heart, enough for him to face each day without giving up hope.
Dear Lord, this journey of sickness is difficult, and we see my brother growing weary. Today, we specifically ask for a divine supply of strength and courage for him. Fill his heart with a lion’s courage to face every procedure, every piece of news, and every uncomfortable moment.
Remind him that he is not fighting this battle alone, for You are with him. Your Word in Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Let him feel that truth deep in his soul. When his own strength fails, let Your power be made perfect in his weakness.
Lift his spirits and replace any feelings of despair with a powerful sense of Your presence. Give him the mental and emotional endurance to keep fighting, to keep believing, and to keep his eyes fixed on You, the author and perfecter of our faith. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When we pray for his courage, we are asking that God’s strength become his strength, so that he can bear this trial with a brave and hopeful heart.
Prayer for the Wisdom of Doctors
We are grateful for the medical team caring for our brother, and in this prayer we ask God to give them wisdom, clear minds and skill as they make their decisions and treat him.
Father God, we thank You for the gift of medicine and for the doctors, nurses, and caregivers You have placed in my brother’s path. We now ask for a special blessing over them. Please grant them supernatural wisdom and clear understanding as they assess his condition.
Guide their thoughts, their hands, and their decisions. Remove any confusion or uncertainty and give them great insight into the best course of treatment. As it says in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” We ask this for his entire medical team.
May they be instruments of Your healing grace. Help them to work together with skill and compassion. We pray that every choice they make aligns with Your perfect will for my brother’s complete recovery and well-being. Thank you for their dedication and care. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
All wisdom comes from God, and so we trust him to lead the medical team, believing that he can work through what they know and what they can do to heal our brother.
Prayer for Peace Over His Mind
Sickness so often brings anxiety, fear and worry with it, and here we ask for God’s peace to guard our brother’s heart and mind, to calm his thoughts and soothe his soul.
Lord Jesus, the physical toll of this illness is great, but the mental and emotional battle can be just as hard. I pray that you would cover my brother with a blanket of Your divine peace right now. Still his anxious thoughts and quiet the voice of fear that whispers lies in the dark.
Protect his mind from worry about the future and from replaying the pains of the past. Let him rest in the truth of Your control and Your love for him. Your Word in Philippians 4:7 promises “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We ask for that transcendent peace to rule in his heart.
Let him feel a deep, settled calm that can only come from You. Help him to release his burdens into Your capable hands so that his mind can be at ease, allowing his body the tranquility it needs to heal. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Jesus can bring calm even in the middle of a storm, and we ask that his peace, which no one can explain, stand guard over our brother’s mind and give his troubled spirit rest.
Prayer for Strong Faith During Sickness
Because a health crisis can test anyone’s faith, we pray here that our brother’s trust in God will not shrink in this hard time but grow stronger and deeper, and more real to him than ever before.
Heavenly Father, in times of trouble, it can be hard to see Your hand at work. I lift up my brother’s faith to You. I pray that this trial would not diminish his trust in You, but instead, that it would become a testimony to Your faithfulness.
Protect him from doubt and discouragement. When questions arise, gentle his spirit and remind him of Your constant love and sovereign plan. Let this season be a time where his spiritual roots grow deeper into You. Hebrews 11:1 reminds us, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Bolster his confidence and his assurance in You, Lord.
Help him to feel Your presence and to hold onto hope, even when healing seems distant. May he look back on this time not as a moment of weakness, but as the moment his faith became unshakable, trusting fully in Your goodness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Faith helps a sick man to heal and to endure, and so we ask God to guard and strengthen our brother’s spirit, that his trust in God may stay a steady anchor for his soul.
Prayer for Patience in the Waiting
Healing is often slow, and much of it is waiting. Here we ask God to give our brother patience, so that he can wait well and trust God’s perfect timing without growing frustrated or losing hope.
Lord, the waiting is one of the hardest parts of being sick. Waiting for answers, waiting for healing, waiting for strength to return. I pray for my brother, asking You to fill him with a spirit of patience and peaceful endurance.
Help him to rest in the knowledge that Your timing is always perfect. Guard his heart from frustration and restlessness. Teach him to find moments of grace and gratitude in the middle of this waiting period. As Lamentations 3:25 says, “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.” Help my brother to seek You and find hope in this season.
Give him the grace to take one day at a time, trusting that You are working all things together for his good. May this time of waiting not be wasted, but instead, be a time of drawing closer to You and learning to depend on Your strength. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, and in illness we cannot do without it. We pray that God will give our brother a peaceful heart, one that can trust the process and wait for the restoration God has promised.
Prayer for Comfort for Our Family
When one of us is sick, the whole family feels the pain and the strain, so this prayer is for all of us. We ask God for comfort, unity and strength as we stand by our brother together.
O God of all comfort, we come to You not just for my brother, but for our entire family. This journey is difficult for all of us, and our hearts are heavy with concern. Please wrap Your loving arms around us and be our source of strength.
Help us to be a source of support and love for one another, rather than taking out our stress on each other. Grant us patience, understanding, and unending compassion. Remind us of Your words in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, that You are the “Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.” Comfort us, Lord, so we may comfort my brother.
Unite our hearts in prayer and in purpose. Banish any division or fear that would try to creep in. Let our love for our brother and our shared faith in You be the glue that holds us together, making us a strong support system for him. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
A family that is comforted and united does a great deal for a sick man’s healing. So we ask God to care for the people doing the caring, and to make the family strong enough to look after our brother well.
Prayer for Restful Sleep
The body needs deep sleep to heal, so we ask God to give our brother peaceful nights, free from pain and anxiety, and the true rest his body so badly needs.
Dear Lord, I pray for my brother’s rest tonight. I ask that You would allow him to have a night of deep, peaceful, and healing sleep. Calm his body and his mind, and release the tensions of the day so that he can fully relax in Your care.
Protect him through the night. Keep pain at a distance and let his sleep be uninterrupted. Guard his dreams, replacing any fear or anxiety with thoughts of Your goodness and peace. We lean on Your promise in Psalm 4:8, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Let him feel that safety tonight.
May he wake up in the morning feeling refreshed, with renewed strength and a hopeful spirit to face the new day. Thank you for the gift of rest and the restoration that it brings to both body and soul. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Sleep is God’s gift for restoring body and mind, and we ask him to give it to our brother in full, to push back the struggles of the night and let him rest and heal.
Prayer to Cast Out Fear
Fear steals peace and joy, and in illness most of all. This prayer is said with authority: it asks God to drive the spirit of fear out of our brother’s heart and to fill it with perfect love and trust instead.
Mighty God, we know that fear does not come from You. It is a powerful enemy that attacks the mind and weakens the spirit. In the authority of Jesus Christ, we stand against the spirit of fear that is trying to torment my brother.
We ask you to cast it out of his heart, his mind, and his room. Fill every empty space that fear leaves behind with Your perfect love, which drives out all fear. Your Word is a sword against this enemy, and we declare 2 Timothy 1:7 over him: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Replace his fear of the unknown with a solid trust in You. Replace his fear of pain with the assurance of Your comfort. Let his heart be steady and his mind be sound, rooted in the unshakable truth of Your power and love for him. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
In this prayer we take a stand against the darkness fear brings to the heart, and we ask God to put in its place his love and his power and the sound mind he promises.
Prayer for Him to Feel God’s Presence
Sometimes the hardest part of being sick is feeling alone, so this prayer asks one simple thing: that our brother will feel how close God is, and know that he is not alone in his struggle.
Loving Shepherd, I ask for something very special for my brother today. More than anything, I pray that he would feel Your presence with him in a real and personal way. Let him know, without a doubt, that he is not alone in that room.
Break through the fog of pain and medicine and touch his spirit. Let him feel the warmth of Your love, the comfort of Your arms, and the whisper of Your voice in his heart. Remind him of Your promise in Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Be with him in the lonely moments, in the middle of the night, and during every difficult procedure. May the knowledge of Your constant companionship be his greatest comfort and his deepest source of peace through this challenging time. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
There is great comfort in knowing we are not alone. We ask the Holy Spirit to make his presence known, so that our brother feels loved, seen and held up by God himself.
Prayer of Gratitude for His Life
Even in hard times there is always something to thank God for, and here we turn to thanks: for the gift of our brother’s life and for every moment we have with him.
Father God, even with our hearts full of concern, we choose to pause and give You thanks. Thank you for the incredible gift of my brother’s life. Thank you for every memory we’ve shared, for every laugh, and for the unique person You created him to be.
Gratitude changes our perspective and fills our hearts with hope. We thank you for the life he has lived so far and for the future we are trusting You for. As 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” So today, in the midst of this circumstance, we give You thanks for him.
Thank you for his strength, his love, and the joy he brings to our family. We place his precious life back into Your hands, trusting that the One who gave him to us will sustain him and see him through this. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
A thankful heart can bring light into the darkest days. When we give thanks in the middle of a trial, we are acting in faith: we confess God’s goodness even as we celebrate our brother’s life.
Prayer for Complete Restoration
Here we pray for more than healing from one sickness. We look ahead in hope and ask God to restore our brother completely, renewing him in body, mind and spirit.
Lord of all creation, we bring our brother before You and ask for more than just a temporary fix. We pray for his complete and total restoration. We ask that You would not only heal the specific illness he is fighting, but that You would renew his entire being.
Restore his body to full strength and vitality. Restore his mind to a place of peace and clarity. Restore his spirit with fresh hope and a renewed passion for life. We believe in Your power to make things better than they were before. We hold onto the hopeful image in Isaiah 40:31, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
We pray that he would rise from this with a powerful testimony of Your goodness. Let this trial be a launching point for a new season of health, joy, and purpose in his life, all for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
It takes great faith to look past today’s trouble to a future of full health. In this prayer we ask God to do more than patch things up, and to bring our brother into a new season of wholeness.
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