A Prayer for Healing through the Cross
By Rachel Wojo
Bible Reading:
"But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed." - Isaiah 53:5
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One spring day, I stood by the window in my daughter Taylor's bedroom after she had experienced a grand mal seizure. After watching her entire body shake uncontrollably, her eyes rolling, I prayed desperately for God's peace. When the seizing finally stopped, she lay exhausted on the bed. As Taylor drifted to sleep, anger saturated my being."God, You don't know!" I cried out. "You don't know what it's like to watch Your child suffer!"
Then I heard Him speak to my heart:
"Oh yes, I do. I sent My Son to suffer and die for you."
The words captured my breath. Everything about Jesus' suffering had been planned since man's costly choices in the Garden of Eden. Willingly, the Father knew what was coming, what it would feel like, and what it would cost—and He did it for you and me, for all mankind.
Maybe you've been in a place where heartache carves hollow spaces in your soul or where understanding God's sacrifice becomes suddenly, painfully personal. In Matthew 27:54, after Jesus breathed His last, we read: "When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'" Even those who had helped crucify Him recognized this was no ordinary death. Something beyond their understanding had shifted.
The cross represents the ultimate intersection of pain and healing. Isaiah foretold it perfectly: "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). The very instrument of torture became our source of wholeness.
When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he explained it this way: "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross" (Colossians 2:13-14). What if we prayed: Lord, help me see my healing in the shadow of Your cross.
Pain can create walls in our hearts—barriers built brick by brick with disappointment, trauma, and grief. We might be hesitant to believe that complete healing is available here and now. Yet Easter reminds us that Jesus didn't just die; He rose again! His resurrection power isn't just a future promise—it's a present reality. In 1 Peter 2:24, we read: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds, you have been healed." Notice the tense: "You have been healed." Not "you will be healed" or "you might be healed," but "you have been healed." In God's economy, your healing was secured that first Easter morning.
When the cross stands at the center of our lives, healing flows in all directions. I'm not suggesting that every physical ailment magically disappears (though God certainly can and sometimes does perform such miracles). Rather, I'm pointing to the inner healing available to our spirits, emotions, relationships, and sometimes our bodies. Jesus' final words on the cross were, "It is finished." The work of redemption, reconciliation, and healing was complete. Because of His victory over death, we can experience victory today—including healing.
Sometimes, we carry our pain like a familiar companion, unsure who we would be without it. Healing can be frightening because it means change, stepping into a new identity. What would it look like to let the risen Christ touch those wounded places in your soul? What would walking in the freedom He purchased with His blood would feel like? Romans 8:11 reminds us: "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you." The same power that rolled away the stone is at work within us!
When the centurion witnessed Jesus' death and the supernatural events surrounding it, he recognized divinity. Similarly, when the world witnesses genuine healing in our lives—not the absence of pain, but its transformation—they glimpse the divine work of the cross. Will you join me in praying for healing through the cross this Easter season?
Let’s Pray:
Lord Jesus, thank You for bearing my pain on the cross. You've felt my sorrows and know my deepest hurts. Today, I claim Your promise—by Your wounds, I am healed. Touch the broken places in my heart. Transform my bitterness, trauma, and grief with Your healing power. I receive this healing not as a distant hope but as my present reality through Your sacrifice. Remind me that because of Calvary, You have the final word in my life—and that word is healed. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/mbolina
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Originally published Sunday, 06 April 2025.
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