Prayers for Healing
When someone we love is hurting—or when our own body and spirit feel worn down—a prayer for healing is often the first language we reach for. This collection gathers original prayers for healing of every kind: physical recovery, emotional restoration, and quiet strength for the long days in between. Use them at a bedside, in a waiting room, or in the stillness of your own morning.
Pray them word for word, or let them be a starting point for your own honest words to God. Below you'll also find prayers for specific situations—surgery, a sick friend, anxiety, and more. Below the prayers you'll also find a small collection of Bible verses for healing—words to read slowly, to pray back to God, or to send to someone who needs them today.
A Short Prayer for Healing
Loving God, I bring this hurt to You. Where there is pain, bring relief; where there is fear, bring peace; where there is weariness, bring rest. Lay Your healing hand on body, mind, and spirit, and let Your nearness be felt even now. Amen.
A Prayer for Strength While Healing
Father, healing is slow, and I am tired. Give me strength for today—not the whole road, just today. Steady my hope, quiet my worry, and remind me that I am held by You at every step of this recovery. Amen.
A Prayer for Complete Restoration
God of mercy, You made the body to mend and the heart to hope. Restore what is broken, renew what is exhausted, and make me whole in Your time and Your way. I trust myself to Your care. Amen.
A Longer Prayer for Deep Healing
Father in heaven, I come to You today carrying a body and a heart that long to be made well. You knew me before I was formed, and not one cell of me is hidden from Your sight. I bring You every ache that words cannot fully name, and every fear that hides behind my brave face. Where there is sickness, would You bring Your gentle restoring; where there is exhaustion, would You bring rest that goes deeper than sleep. I thank You for the doctors, nurses, and caregivers who use their skill and patience, and I ask that You would guide their hands and steady their judgment. Help me to take the treatment before me seriously, and to trust that You can work both through medicine and beyond it. When the days are long and progress feels slow, remind me that healing is often quiet and unhurried, like dawn arriving before the sun is seen. Teach me to be patient with my own weakness, and to receive care without shame. On the mornings I wake discouraged, meet me there, and lift my eyes again toward hope. I lay down the need to understand everything, and I choose to rest in Your nearness instead. Whatever this season holds, let it draw me closer to You and not further away. Thank You that You never grow tired of my asking, and that Your love does not depend on how strong I feel. Into Your faithful hands I place my body, my mind, and my whole future. Amen.
A Breath Prayer for Moments of Pain
Lord, You are near; breathe Your healing peace through me now. Amen.
Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are the one I praise.— Jeremiah 17:14
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
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
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.— Isaiah 53:5
For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.— Jeremiah 30:17
I am the Lord that healeth thee.— Exodus 15:26
O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.— Psalm 30:2
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.— Isaiah 41:10
He cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.— Matthew 8:16-17
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.— 3 John 1:2
Prayers for specific situations
Frequently asked questions
What is a good short prayer for healing?
A short prayer like 'Loving God, lay Your healing hand on body, mind, and spirit, and let Your peace be felt even now. Amen.' works at a bedside or in a waiting room. The prayers above can be prayed word for word or adapted in your own words.
What does the Bible say about praying for healing?
Scripture repeatedly invites us to bring sickness to God. James 5:14–15 encourages the sick to ask others to pray, and many psalms cry out for restoration. Prayer is offered alongside, never instead of, medical care.
What is the Jewish prayer for healing?
The traditional Jewish prayer for healing is the Mi Shebeirach (מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ), meaning 'May the One who blessed.' It asks God to bless and heal the sick person in body and spirit, and is often recited in synagogue when someone is seriously ill. The refrain 'r'fuah sh'leimah' means 'a complete healing' — of body and soul. While Find A Prayer is a Christian devotional site, the Mi Shebeirach is a meaningful part of the broader prayerful tradition of asking God for healing, and many interfaith families find comfort in both traditions.
How do I pray for healing for someone else?
Praying for someone else is called intercession, and it's one of the most loving things you can do. Name the person specifically ('Lord, I pray for [name]'), describe their need honestly, and ask God to act. You don't need to be certain about the outcome — simply ask with trust. James 5:14–15 encourages the community to pray together for the sick. Letting the person know you're praying for them is itself an act of care.
What are the best Bible verses for healing?
Many people return to a small handful of Bible verses for healing again and again: Jeremiah 17:14 ('Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed'), Psalm 103:2-3 ('who healeth all thy diseases'), Isaiah 53:5 ('with his stripes we are healed'), James 5:14-15 (the elders praying over the sick), and Exodus 15:26 ('I am the Lord that healeth thee'). Read them slowly, pray them back to God in your own words, and share them with someone who needs strength today.
What does the Bible say about healing prayer?
Scripture treats healing prayer as ordinary Christian life, not a rare event. James 5:14-15 invites the sick to call for the church to pray. The Gospels show Jesus healing everyone who came to him (Matthew 8:16-17). Psalms are full of honest cries for restoration answered by God. Healing prayer is offered alongside medical care, not instead of it—and the Bible frames the answer as belonging to God's wisdom and timing.
Is there a prayer for healing a specific situation, like a pet or a broken heart?
Yes — alongside the general prayers on this page, we have dedicated prayers for a sick or injured pet, a broken heart or heartbreak, healing eyes and eyesight, and healing kidneys, each written for that specific situation rather than adapted from a general prayer.