Perhaps you’ve been fighting an illness. Or maybe you’ve been watching someone close to you deteriorate day by day. May I be honest? As I prepare to delve into verses that promise healing, a part of me responds with cynicism. How do we explain Christians who never got better, even though they believed and even quoted these verses?
You might have heard theories as to why God seemed to only heal some, but not every sick person. I’m like you—I can name people who died because of an illness. I even wrote a book because of the shocking death of my own father. To be fair, he died before I had the chance to do anything, much less ask God to extend his life. My father had literally finished his race (2 Timothy 4:7) by the time I heard about what happened.
But for each story like mine, the opposite exists. Countless believers contended for the healing of their loved ones only to see them die, even though they had believed God for healing and memorized Scripture and prayed unceasingly for mercy or miracles—sometimes both.
Take Matt Redman, the songwriter behind hits like Blessed Be Your Name, 10,000 Reasons, and many more. He and his wife suffered from three consecutive miscarriages. But in their book, Finding God in the Hard Times, they encouraged us to “acknowledge before God the pain of this life, and then choose Him in the midst of it—not try to deny or somehow superficially rise above our pain, but instead welcome Him right into the reality of the situation.”
What do you say about following their example? Let’s navigate through this year by staying on God’s side. Let’s refuse to let anything sway us from the certainty of the love of God and the inerrancy of Scripture. Let’s cultivate a steely spiritual resilience regardless of the disappointments we might have collected. If you’re fighting any kind of physical infirmity, here are 8 verses to support your journey:
1. Proverbs 4:20-22
“My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.” - Proverbs 4:20-22
According to these verses, God’s Word possesses medicinal qualities. One of the pastors in my church related how his parents tested this principle out. After his father, Steve, was diagnosed with a stage IV cancer, his mom plastered the hallway in their house with huge sticky notes bearing hand-written verses regarding healing. Tina helped Steve walk back and forth in that hallway, confessing the verses he passed out loud.
Steve and Tina didn’t do their prayer walk only when he felt like it. They consumed the Word on healing daily. Is it surprising that three years later, Steve is still cancer-free? His health isn’t without its challenges, but he also defied the terminal diagnosis he was initially given.
2. Psalm 107:20
“He sent His word and healed them.” Psalm 107:20
God could have inserted other qualities into His Word, but He chose to make His Word pulsate with the power to heal—and that Word stands forever (Isaiah 40:8). Is your need for healing serious enough to warrant spending more time with the Bible than with anything else? Is it serious enough to merit memorizing Scripture, particularly regarding healing?
3. Psalm 118:1-4
“His love endures forever.” - Psalm 118:1-4
One of my mom’s colleagues had to endure dialysis three times a week for a stretch of time. I’ll never forget what he said about the ordeal: “This is a lesson from God.” The witness of Scripture prompted me to gently disagree with him. Since God’s love lasts forever, for Him to teach us a lesson using sickness is to deny His own nature. A loving God (1 John 4:8, 16) utilizes healing as His love language.
4. Exodus 15:26
“If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26, italics added).
The italicized part of the verse describes God’s delight and desire. If you’ve ever wondered if God wills for us to be healed, Scripture answers with a resounding yes. However, according to this verse, we have a part to play. Living with sin—things His Word classifies as detrimental for us—will set us back from healing.
5. 1 Corinthians 3:16
“Don’t you know that you’re a temple if God and the Spirit of God dwells in you?” - 1 Corinthians 3:16
No king would allow his palace to appear anything other than A+. Stellar. Why would God act differently regarding our body, which, according to this verse, is the place where His Spirit dwells? Can we really imagine the Lord, the supreme King of the universe, willingly coexisting with cancer?
Having said that, His Word makes it clear that if we yield to sexual sins, our body will pay the price (1 Corinthians 6:16). What God calls sexual sin remains to be sin, regardless of what influencers or AI may say. Eliminate sexual—and any other—sins from your life and you’ll be eligible for healing.
6. Romans 10:13
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” - Romans 10:13
The Greek word translated saved above is sozo, which means to save, to rescue, to deliver, to heal, to preserve. Being a Christian entails more than just entering heaven after we die. It makes sense for God to include our whole being in the plan of salvation; He crafted humans as consisting of spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Why would He design salvation to only impact our spirit—and only after we finish our race on earth—without any regard for our physical or emotional wholeness while here?
7. James 5:14-16
"Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:14-16).
These verses reveal two different ways to receive healing. First, you can ask the elders of your church to pray and anoint you (or the sick person) with oil. However, the prayer has to be done in faith. James 1:6-7 makes it clear that we won’t get what we ask for if doubt clogs our hearts.
But there’s another way to get healed. You (or the sick individual) can confess any active sins to another believer before the two of you pray for each other.
8. Luke 18:41
“What do you want me to do for you?” - Luke 18:41
This question is Jesus’ response to a blind beggar who kept pleading for His mercy. The moment He released this question, the beggar readily responded, “Lord, I want to see” (Luke 18:41).
What if God were to ask you, “What do you want me to do for you”? What would your answer be? Scripture is written for our example and instruction (1 Corinthians 10:11). If Jesus had the compassion to ask the beggar what he wished—and then granted it—there’s no reason why He should treat our need differently. After all, God doesn’t play favorites (Romans 2:11).
Is healing what you need? Then boldly ask for it. Trust God for the best, regardless of what may have transpired in the past. As you do so, let me leave you with one more verse. “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way” (2 Thessalonians 3:16).
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Christian Fregnan
