Powerful Healing Prayers for the Sick

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Use these prayers and verses to uplift sick loved ones

Co-authored by Olivia Woodford

Last Updated: November 22, 2024 Fact Checked

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Prayers and Scriptures for the Sick

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How to Pray for the Sick

Being sick or having a sick friend or family member is one of the most difficult challenges we encounter in life. In these moments when you’re watching someone else struggle with their health, you may feel empty and powerless. Saying a prayer for the sick can calm your anxiety and strengthen your connection not only to your ill loved ones, but to God. We spoke to Bible expert Olivia Woodford for advice to help guide you through 11 different Christian prayers and how to craft a personalized appeal for healing,

Short Healing Prayer for the Sick

“Dear God, thank you for your blessings and your infinite mercy. I lift the sick in our community up to your loving care and humbly ask that you provide them with complete healing and recovery. Help me accept your will and have faith in your wisdom. Amen.”

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Prayers and Scriptures for the Sick

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Prayer for a Sick Family Member “Heavenly Father, I come to you with thanks for the many blessings you bestow on me and my loved ones daily. My dear family member, [insert name], is in need of your loving care and healing. Please place your healing hand upon them and restore their health and well-being. May your will be done and lead us down the path of wisdom.”
- Related scripture: ”Do not let your hearts be troubled. Have faith in God and have faith in me.” John 14:1
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Prayer for a Sick Friend “Dear Lord, thank you for the everlasting kindness you show to me and all my loved ones. I ask you to comfort and heal my friend, [insert name]. You provide all things, including good health, and I pray it is your will to extend that blessing to them. Thank you for tending to our needs in the way you deem best.”
- Related scripture: ”The Lord sustains him in his sick bed. In his illness, you restore him to full health.” Psalm 41:3
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Prayer for a Sick Child “Almighty God, I appreciate all your blessings, not least of which is the blessing of children. As the Father and provider of all creation, you know that my child and yours, [insert name], is ill. That’s why I humbly ask you to heal their body and restore their vigor. As always, we look to you to meet our needs in the ways you see fit. Amen.”
- Related scripture: ”Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14
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Prayer by Someone Who Is Sick “Dear Father, thank you for your mercy and for allowing me to make requests of you. I’m struggling with sickness, and so I turn to you, the ultimate Healer, and ask you to heal me. May my recovery be swift, and may my faith in you remain strong, come what may.”
- Related scripture: ”Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4
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Prayer for Recovery After an Injury “Blessed are you, Lord our God, who heals the hurt and the weary. May you bless [insert name] with a speedy and complete recovery from their injury. Please guide them on the road to healing, so they may resume normal life as soon as possible.”
- Related scripture: ”Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.” Matthew 11:28
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Prayer for Healing from Cancer “Merciful Father, no disease is beyond your power to heal or dispel. Please banish the cancer from [insert name]’s body and breathe new life into them. Please shore up their faith and hope, and grant them the strength to fight this awful disease. I take comfort from the fact that you have power over all things, even cancer, and that nothing happens except by your will. May you increase our spiritual fortitude for the days to come, whatever they hold.”
- Related scripture: “The Lord is my light and my savior; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defender of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
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Prayer for a Surgery “Dear Lord, [insert name] is entering surgery. I beseech you to protect them during surgery and guide their recovery with your loving hands. Please give me strength to accept the outcome, knowing that you, my merciful Father in heaven, watch over us all.”
- Related scripture: ”I am with you always, until the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20
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Prayer for Doctors and Nurses “God of Heaven and Earth, you are the ultimate Healer. Doctors and nurses are but extensions of your will. I don’t rely on them, I rely on you. Please work through the medical staff and guide their actions and decisions on the wisest path. I put myself in your hands.”
- Related scripture: “And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17
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Prayer for a Sick Pet “Almighty God, you are the creator and caretaker of all living creatures, great and small. I know I can trust the healing of my beloved pet, [insert name], to you. Please remove the sickness from their body and allow them to return to their former, active self. I love my pet as I would love a human member of my family, and I pray you will bless them with the same grace.”
- Related scripture: ”Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” Psalm 84:3
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Prayer for Relief from Pain “Father, you created human beings with the ability to withstand many trials and tribulations. The trial of pain is perhaps the most difficult of all, and it is to you I turn to provide comfort and relief. May you see fit to bring me to the eye of this storm and allow me to feel peace in my physical body. As always, you soothe my soul with your love and the light of your Word.”
- Related scripture: ”He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4
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Prayer for a Sick Stranger “God, you are all-knowing and all-seeing. There’s someone with whom I’m not acquainted who needs your healing. Please extend your grace to this person and let them see the miracles you alone can do. No matter what your plan is for them, help them face the future with trust in your wisdom.”
- Related scripture: ”The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow.” Psalm 146:9

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How to Pray for the Sick

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Start by expressing gratitude and appreciation. Thanking God at the beginning of your prayer for the sick – or any prayer, period – is key. Your goal is not just to make a one-off request, but to establish a relationship and rapport with your Heavenly Father that will support you in your struggles.
- Woodford suggests thanking God for the things we tend to take for granted, like the nature around us, our food, and everything that keeps us alive “without us having to do anything.”
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Appeal to God for healing instead of demanding. Imagine how you feel when someone comes to you and demands something from you instead of asking nicely for it. God feels the same way when you demand things of Him, even if it’s an important request like healing a sick person. Instead, Woodford instructs, approach your request with humility and appeal to God’s unfailing kindness and mercy.
- Woodford recommends allowing yourself to be vulnerable when you pray to God to heal you or someone else. Feel free to use the same words you would say in a conversation with a good friend, like, “I'm really needing help here,” or “I'm really feeling out of sorts.”
- Speak to God from where you are and admit you can’t handle what life has thrown at you, especially if it’s a health-related issue. While God doesn’t respond well to demands, He always responds to honesty.
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Praise God for answering (even if it’s not the answer you want). Woodford says that God always answers your prayers, but you may not always like the way He chooses to do so. Nevertheless, even if things don’t turn out the way you want them to – maybe your friend doesn’t get better, or maybe your child takes longer to recover from an injury – know that God is listening and verbally praise Him for his attentiveness.
- Acknowledge that God answers prayers by saying, “Thank you, Lord, for listening to my cries for help,” or “I love how I can turn to you for all my needs.”
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End by affirming you accept God’s will. When your prayers don’t get answered, your faith may be shaken to the core. Trust that God, in His omniscience, knows what’s best. This will bolster your relationship with Him and grant you a sense of peace over all the things you can’t control.
- A classic way to affirm God’s will in prayer is by speaking the phrase, “May your will be done.”
- You can also ask God to help you accept the outcome of what you’re praying for, no matter if you perceive it as positive or negative. For example, if you’re requesting that He relieve someone in pain, ask, “Please help me trust your wisdom and accept your judgments.”