Article copyright by Bob Rogers.

Perhaps more than any other kind of prayer, people pray for the sick. Yet many are at a loss as to what to say in their prayers.

Honest, simple prayers are best. The Bible teaches us to be honest and straightforward with God in our prayers. King Hezekiah just reminded God of his service to the Lord, and wept. God heard his prayer and his tears and answered his prayer. (2 Kings 20). Mary and Martha prayed a simple prayer to Jesus when their brother Lazarus was sick. They just presented him to the Lord, saying, “Lord, the one You love is sick.” (John 11:3) Lazarus died, and they may have felt their prayer was not heard. Yet a few days later, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead! Let that be a reminder to us that what matters in our prayer for the sick is the One to whom we pray, not the words that we say.

Pray in faith. It is also important to remember that when we pray, we must pray in faith, believing God really has power to do amazing things in answer to our prayer. James 5:15 says, “The prayer of faith will save the sick person.”  If we only think prayer is positive thinking to make us feel good, we might as well just dispense with the pretense that we are talking to Almighty God, and say, “Hey, cheer up! Think good thoughts!” Most of us know that such pop psychology as a denial of reality. We know there truly is a Person greater than us, a Supreme Creator, who revealed His love to us in the Person of Jesus Christ.

With that said, people still struggle with how to put their heart-felt faith into words. So with the above in mind, here are some prayers that I have prayed for the sick, or have heard others pray. May they be an encouragement to others to pray in faith to the Great Physician.

General prayers

“Heavenly Father, we thank You for the medicine and knowledge used by the doctors and nurses, but we realize that these are gifts from You, for You are our Great Physician and Healer. Please give wisdom to the doctors as they seek the best treatment, give compassion to the nurses as they care for their patients, give stamina to the family who are caring for their loved ones, and give to the patient Your peace that passes all understanding, that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

“Heavenly Father, how we thank You that we may call You ‘Father,’ just as Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Our Father who art in heaven,’ because You watch over us, provide for us, and we have a relationship with You through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Just as a child crawls up into the lap of his (or her) father and asks for help, we come to you as our Father, and ask that You continue to bless this Your child, giving him (or her) healing, according to Your will, and Your peaceful presence. Watch over his (or her) family in this time that they are by his (or her) side.”

“Jesus, we present to You the name of this one who is sick. We present them to You. like Mary and Martha, when their brother Lazarus was sick, and they simply said, ‘Lord, the one You love is sick.’ So Lord, the one You love is sick! We trust You to heal in your way and your time, not ours. We trust that You are here, even when we don’t see it. You didn’t come to Lazarus when Mary and Martha expected, but when You did come, You did more than they expected! We trust that You care, even when we don’t feel it. You wept at the tomb of Lazarus, even though You knew that You were going to raise him from the dead. So here we are, with the one You love. This one is sick. We put thir need in Your holy hands, even as we put ourselves in Your hands. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

“Heavenly Father, we lift the name of this patient before Your throne of grace, and we thank You that it is a throne because you are King of kings, and it is a throne of grace because you are a God of grace and mercy. We ask that you would work in such a wonderful way, that Your Name would be glorified, our faith would be edified, and the old devil would be horrified. As our prayers go up, may your blessings come down.”

“Father, we thank You for Your power to heal, for You created our bodies. We thank You for Your presence in our time of sickness, to bring us strength and encouragement. We thank You for the prayers of our family and friends, who lift up this one who is sick to Your throne of grace. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.” – Nathan Barber (adapted)

“God, my loved one is ill. I ask for your healing power to come upon them. You give us life and you have the power to renew life. I believe in your power to heal. Open my loved one to whatever for your healing power takes. And help me remember that, no matter what happens, you are the same yesterday, today and forever. You are always with us. Amen.” – Norman Vincent Peale

“Jesus, when You walked this earth, you often touched the sick and healed their bodies. We also know that you did more than heal bodies—you brought healing to the spirit and soul, forgiveness to sinners, and reconciliation to enemies. Today we ask that you heal this one who is sick in any and every way that he needs—touch his body, soul and spirit with your healing power. And we will give You the glory for all that you will do. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.”

“O Great Physician, we call on You to bless our loved one who is sick. She (or he) is in pain and not well yet physically, yet we know that You are working. We see You working through the doctors, nurses, therapists and all the other medical staff. We see You working through the medicine. We see You working through the love of this family by her side, and her church family who are lifting her up in prayer. We see You providing Your peace and assurance through Your Holy Spirit. Now we ask for your healing, all according to Your plan. If You choose to heal her body, we will thank You. If you choose to heal her spirit, we will thank You. Bless her and her family with Your special touch. In the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, we pray.”

“O thou who hearest prayer, we pray thee to be very kind and merciful to thy child, whose body suffers in pain and weakness. Grant unto him patience and tranquility of mind; peace, purity, and courage of soul; the strong will to live; and a heart ready to trust thee waking or sleeping. Bless all the means used for his recovery, and all who minister to him in his suffering. Restore him speedily to health, if it please thee, and above all things grant him that which thou knowest to be best for him, and keep him thine for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.” – Henry Van Dyke

“I pray, God, that You will refuse Satan’s requests when he accuses people (as with Job), I ask You, God, to let nothing hinder Your good plans in their lives, and that You use their situation for Your glory, to bring them and those around them closer to You, and that You heal them if that be what’s best for them.” – Emily Jordan Leggett

“Lord, we ask for Your will to be done in every situation, for wisdom for doctors, strength for families and the one who is sick. We ask for healing, for guidance in every situation, for peace and comfort, for Your Spirit to fill each and every person involved, that Your wrap Your arms around them, that they will know without a doubt that You’re with them. We thank You, Lord, for being our provider, our comforter, our strong tower, our peace, our refuge and our strength in time of need. And we thank You, Lord, for being all of everything for the ones who need healing. We ask for Your army of angels to protect them and may Your will be done. In Jesus name.” – Crystal Hallauer Basdeo (adapted)

Prayer for yourself when you are the one sick

Lord, it is hard to pray when I feel sick. My head aches, and I can’t think straight. My body is wracked with pain, and it keeps me from focusing on You. All that I know to do is to come before You, and say, “Here I am.” I need Your strength in my sickness. Take this frail body of mine, and do Your will. Please show me mercy, and heal my body and soul. Even if my flesh fails, I am resolved to worship You. In the Name of the Great Physician, Jesus Christ, my Lord, I pray. Amen.

Lord, I know that You are the One who removes sickness.¹ Jesus, You healed the sick wherever You went.² So I trust my sickness to You, and ask for healing. Remind me, also, that there is something worse than sickness. I know that a man’s spirit can endure sickness, but who can endure a broken spirit?³ So I pray that my sickness will be for the glory of God.⁴ and I pray that even in my sickness, I will find peace to my soul.⁵    Biblical references: ¹ Deuteronomy 7:15, ² Matthew 9:35, ³ Proverbs 18:14; Lamentations 3:17, ⁴ John 11:5, ⁵ 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Prayers for the caregivers

“Heavenly Father, You are the Great Physician. We thank You for the healing of body and soul that you do through our medical workers. They could do nothing by themselves, but with You, all things are possible. We thank You for the knowledge and compassion You have given to the physicians and nurses, and many others who do the work of healing. The battle is sometimes long, and the enemy seeks to discourage them and defeat them, but we know that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Just as Aarom and Hur held up the arms of Moses until the battle was won, we lift up our prayrs on behalf of each medical worker. Strengthen their hands, refresh their hearts, and lift up their eyes to You, our Ultimate Healder. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.”

“Thank you, God, for my doctor and nurses. Thank you for their skills and training. Thank you for their patience with me when I am irritable because I don’t feel well. Give them the insight they need to diagnose my illness and determine the right treatment. Steady their hands and give them the power to heal in your name. Amen.” – Norman Vincent Peale (adapted)

“Heavenly Father, we thank You for the knowledge You have given to the doctors, the compassion of the nurses, and the faithful love of this patient’s family. We realize they are able to do what they do because You have given them the ability. We ask that you bless each caregiver, so they can be a blessing to this one who is sick.”

Before surgery

“Heavenly Father, we know that you are a good Father, who provides for us, guides us, and leads us in the right way. As the Great Physician, would you guide the attending physicians. As the Prince of Peace, would you give your assurance and peace. As the Good Shepherd, would you guide every decision that is made. We pray this in the mighty Name of our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ.”

“Heavenly Father, this Your servant is preparing for surgery. She’s nervous about it, Father. Would you calm her spirit with your peace that passes all understanding? We thank You for the skill and knowledge of the surgeon, and we ask You to guide the surgeon’s hands to complete a successful surgery. We ask that you give this servant of Yours a full recovery, and the patience that she will need during the time of recovery. Please use that time to draw her closer to You, as she must depend on You more than ever before. We thank you for her family who are here by her side. She is so blessed to have so many people caring for her right now. We thank you for how you work all things together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. We pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

“Our Father, as we face this new experience we come to You for peace and strength. We have confidence in Your healing power and in the doctor. You gave the very life which we have, and since we belong to You, we have trust and faith. We thank You for the understanding that we are constantly surrounded by Your loving, healing care. May Your power be felt through invisible forces. May this operation be successful that this Your child may return to health and useful living; for the sake of Christ and in His Spirit. Amen.” – Edmond Holt Babbitt (adapted)

For someone in pain 

“Jesus, you said, ‘Come unto Me, all ye that are burdened and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.’ You said, ‘My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ We ask that You would lift this heavy burden of pain with your lightness and brightness. We pray this in the Name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.”

For someone not expected to recover

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever.” – Psalm 73:26

“Oh, Lord, Your Word says in the Shepherd’s Psalm that You prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies. Lord, in the midst of this enemy of sickness, would you prepare a table of peace, comfort, grace and mercy? We ask that you will pour out your blessings, and we will let You define the blessing.”

“Dear Lord, we do not understand the reason for suffering. We wish we knew the answer to the question, ‘Why?’ But even though we do not have the answer to the question, ‘Why?’, we will not let go of Your hand, for we know that You hold the answer. We will trust You now in the dark, because we know that the Lord is our light and our salvation. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, who shed His precious blood on the cross to forgive us, and rose from the dead to give us eternal life. Amen.”

“Heavenly Father, our hearts are broken over the sickness of the one we love. We know that You love him even more than we do. We know that even at this late hour, you are fully able to heal him. But we also know that for every follower of Jesus, there is a spiritual healing that is greater than any physical healing. We know that you have created a place where there is no more suffering, crying or pain. So we ask for peace to accept whatever healing You choose to give him. If You choose to heal him physically now, we will rejoice and glorify You. If You choose to heal him spiritually now, we will rejoice and glorify You, because of our firm hope in the resurrection, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

“Our Father, you have given our loved one to us, and You love her even as we do. In confidence and trust we give her back to You. We know that she is Yours. As we climb the steep ascent of faith, please speak peace to our hearts. Take from us all bitterness and mistrust. Although we do not know the answer to many of life’s questions, we do know that we may live in Your love. As we yield ourselves to You, we are confident that You will give Yourself to us; through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. Amen.” – Edmond Holt Babbitt (adapted)

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