As God’s children, our Father wants us to look to Him for all of our needs. The Bible tells us so, encouraging us to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18).
Among our most ardent prayers and requests are those for healing.
Whether you’re praying that God mend your own or someone else’s emotional, physical, or spiritual wounds; here are 10 Scriptural verses you can pray out loud or in your heart, to help usher in complete healing and restoration:
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The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:2-3).
Everyone eventually experiences a broken heart. Hearts break after the loss of a dear friendship or romance, or after enduring a major life disappointment or the death of a loved one.
Whatever the source of your heartbreak, what’s universal is that it’s hard to forget the pain the distressing situation caused. It can be tempting to cope with a broken heart by living a walled existence, refusing to become emotionally invested in others ever again, avoiding the risk of any more heartache.
This type of detached living does nothing to heal your wounds, and runs counter to the Christian principles of faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Instead, when the grip of a broken heart overtakes you, you can pray God’s promises in this Psalm. You can trust that He’ll gather you back into His arms and heal your brokenness until you’re whole enough to love again.
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“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).
So much of the animosity between people stems from envy. It’s normal to feel some measure of envy for the others’ careers, relationships, looks, or possessions. However, left unchecked, envy can cause you to begrudge other people their blessings. When you descend in such a way, you sow seeds of discontent, as Scripture warns that “envy rots the bones” (Proverbs 14:30).
Instead of seeing other people’s blessings as your own shortcomings, choose to celebrate the success of others even if you have to nudge yourself to do so at first. Focus on the Bible’s instruction to “rejoice with those who rejoice” (Romans 12:15), and trust that God has “plans to prosper you” (Jeremiah 29:11) in His own timing.
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“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).
Physical injury can grind your life to a halt. When sickness or injury darken your door, you’re faced with the stark limitations of human effort and, instead, must rely on God’s mercy.
Perhaps the most difficult part of praying for physical healing is waiting for the pain to end; or, worse, accepting that the affliction may end in death. When your faith is tested in this way, you can choose to keep praising your Divine Creator and seek solace in the promise that, ultimately, the time will come when there will be no more “mourning, or crying, or pain” (Revelation 21:4).
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“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Luke 11:4).
Forgiving someone who has hurt you is no easy task. Despite this, forgiveness is key to Christian living. When Jesus was asked by one of His disciples how to pray, Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer, which includes the above verse on forgiveness.
When we forgive someone, we make a conscious decision to move beyond a past offense. It’s important to note that what forgiveness does not require is that we continue to associate with a person who won’t stop harming us.
For this reason, we must balance forgiveness with trust, as Scripture cautions that: “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty” (Proverbs 22:3).
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“Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17).
Some days we feel at one with our faith, while other days we’re fraught with doubt. God expects you to waver, and promises to heal your wayward heart (Jeremiah 3:22). Yet, in the midst of doubt, it remains your responsibility to right the course and restore your faith in Jesus Christ.
One powerful way to return your gaze to the Cross is to acknowledge that upon that Cross hung the crucified Christ. When Jesus offered us eternal life by becoming our final sacrifice, He did His part in the New Covenant with us. Our part is to exercise faith in Christ as the Son of God and in His teachings (John 14:6).
As the above verse instructs, you can restore your faith through frequent study of Christ’s message.
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“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land” (Psalm 68:5-6).
Our Lord is the great “I Am” (Exodus 3:13-15). In Biblical times, a person’s name was significant and often indicated the person’s character or purpose. The great “I Am” is not only the eternal God, but He is also the God who becomes everything you need.
For the fatherless, He is the father. For the widows, He is the protector. For the lonely, He is the provider who sends families to save them from their solitude.
The “families” God sends to the lonely may include a restoration with blood or marital relatives, or it may include a welcoming church family. When God sends people your way to save you from loneliness, it’s up to you to nurture those relationships as godsends.
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“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
We all mourn for countless reasons—for the dead (spiritually or physically), for our own sins or the sins of others, for lost relationships or injustices. We mourn for those who reject God or refuse to repent even at the hour of their death.
God promises to comfort those who mourn because those people realize the importance of repentance and following Christ in seeking eternal life. Such mourning brings you closer to Jesus, as you become participants in His suffering for others (Philippians 3:10).
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“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).
We all face situations that intimidate us. While it’s normal to feel fear, it’s important to remember that God didn’t give you spirit of fear. Instead, God infused you with the power to act boldly in His name.
You can act boldly in moments of fear by looking to the roadmap of Scripture. When you act according to His Word—even if you don’t get your desired results—you can rest easy in knowing that you acted to please God, not man, and have His approval behind our actions. Rather than panicking during an intimidating situation, you’re to receive and act in the spirit of love and self-control that God granted you, letting God’s plan unfold.
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“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
It’s been our human nature to cover up sins ever since Adam and Eve used fig leaves to cover up their nakedness—the sign of their disobedience to God (Genesis 3:7). Just as humanity’s first parents failed to conceal their sin from God, we’re all warned that we won’t prosper either if we attempt to hide our sins.
Instead, concealing sins can lead you to sin further by driving you to lie in the cover-up. It’s said that you can’t fix what you won’t acknowledge.
To make amends for your sins, you must first acknowledge those sins by confessing them completely and with a sincere intention to resist the disobedience that led you astray. Once you renounce your sins in such a way, you allow the Holy Spirit to work within you to restore your relationship with God.
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“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:1-3).
Depression can be all-consuming. Living life depressed is like walking in the muddy waters of constant guilt and sorrow. As the above Psalm implies, you can turn to God during your moments of misery and wait for Him to turn His attention to your cries for help.
When you place your depression at the foot of the Cross and pray for His assistance, He promises to guide you toward stability and free you from despair. This healing from depression is rooted in forgiveness, forgiveness of yourself and of others on your journey out of the “mud and mire” and towards “a firm place to stand.”
Healing your wounds and the wounds of others requires active involvement. Through prayer and petitioning God for His help, you can walk towards restoration and wellness.
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