These comforting bible verses for healing will help encourage you on any healing journey – physical, spiritual, or emotional. They will remind you that when illness strikes, God is still there, and He will provide every step of the way.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in dealing with a chronic illness for 10 years, it’s that life doesn’t always go the way you envision. You have huge hopes & dreams for the future, yet those dreams are dashed (or at least altered) because your body doesn’t function the way it is supposed to.
{Read 5 Things God Wants You to Know as a Chronic Illness Sufferer.}
The bitterness of disappointment is very real. Where do you turn when in need of healing? How do you keep from becoming discouraged and depressed?
Thankfully, the Bible has plenty of healing scriptures for the sick to encourage you, whether your illness lasts 10 days or 10 years. He will never forsake you!
After reading these bible verses for healing, be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post to learn more about how God and Jesus are truly with us through seasons of sickness, plus a special prayer for healing.
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50+ Bible Verses for Healing
The scriptures are divided into 4 categories:
- Bible Verses for Physical Healing
- Bible Verses for Emotional & Spiritual Healing
- Scriptures to Provide Comfort & Strength
- Bible Verses for Relying on God
Read these healing scriptures for the sick whenever you are unwell, or read them to a friend/family member in need. Let the healing and comforting words wash over you; allow the truth of God’s presence to infuse into your heart. Remember, He is always with you and will not forsake you!
Bible Verses for Physical Healing
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
– Psalm 103:1-5
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.
– Matthew 4:23-24
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
– James 5:13-14
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.
– Jeremiah 17:14
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
– 3 John 1:2
‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
– Deuteronomy 32:39
And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.
– Luke 6:19
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
– Matthew 9:35-36
And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
– Mark 5:34
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long?
– Psalm 6:2-3
The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.
– Psalm 41:3
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
– Psalm 73:26
…Oh restore me to health and make me live! Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
– Isaiah 38:16-17
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…
– Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
Bible Verses for Emotional & Spiritual Healing
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
– Psalm 147:3
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
– Proverbs 17:22
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
– Proverbs 16:24
My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
– Proverbs 4:20-22
And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
– Mark 2:17
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
– James 5:16
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.
– 1 Peter 2:24
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
– Romans 5:6
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
– Psalm 30:2
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
– Psalm 30:4-5
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness…
– Psalm 30:11
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
– Isaiah 26:3
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
– Revelation 21:4
Scriptures to Provide Comfort & Strength
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
– Isaiah 41:10
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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This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.
– Psalm 119:50
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
– Isaiah 40:28-29
But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
– Malachi 4:2
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
– John 14:27
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
– Isaiah 40:30-31
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
– Numbers 6:24-26
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
– Matthew 11:28-30
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
– James 1:2-4
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
– Philippians 4:11-13
Bible Verses for Relying on God
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
– Lamentations 3:22-24
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
– 2 Corinthians 12:9
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…
– 2 Corinthians 4:7-9
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
– 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
– 1 Corinthians 10:13
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
– Philippians 4:19
O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.
– Isaiah 33:2
Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.
– Job 5:17-18
Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.
– Job 13:15
Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
– James 5:11
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 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 53:4-5
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God promises that He will never leave or forsake you
When you’re in the middle of a healing journey, you may not want to hear the following statement, but it’s the truth: there is no guarantee of healing in this life.
In fact, 45% of Americans (around 133 million) suffer from at least one chronic illness according to this NCBI study. And everyone will suffer from an acute illness or injury at some point in their life. So when you find yourself in need of healing, don’t despair — run to God.
While some might claim that God will miraculously heal you if you pray a certain prayer, have a greater faith, or donate to a cause, this just isn’t true. God doesn’t dole out perfect health to “stronger” Christians and leave the rest to suffer in agony.
In contrast, Matthew 5:45 says, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Following God isn’t a guarantee to getting what you want, physical health included. But, God does give you some special promises that will guide you through any difficult health valley you may face.
The most special of which is the following: “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” – Deut. 31:8
Jesus healed the sick, and He sees you, too
When I was younger, I sort of glossed over the dozens of passages in which Jesus heals the sick. Having never been sick for any extended period of time, I kind of went, “Big deal…” and kept reading.
But after struggling with chronic illness for years, these Scriptures took on a whole new meaning. They inspired me when I saw Jesus’ power over the human body and the compassion he had on these people.
I saw the faith of the sick, how much they suffered, and how they did everything they could just to get close to Jesus or touch him.
Even though Jesus doesn’t show up and heal us with a touch the way He did then, He still sees what we are struggling with and He cares.
His heart is grieved when you are in pain, when you don’t have energy, when you try yet another treatment that doesn’t work. He sees and He cares.
In John 9, Jesus encounters a blind man is asked by his followers: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
In their society, an infirmity was viewed as a sin by the parents or the child. Jesus said the infirmity was not given as a punishment, but that others would see God’s glory and power.
Jesus came that we might have life more abundantly, but he did not heal everyone. Sometimes, God allows illness to take place so that His power may be shown in a specific way.
What is a good prayer for healing?
If you are sick or want to pray with someone else who is ill, try this prayer:
Lord, thank you for being our God and promising to never leave or forsake us. We know you are here with us in this time of difficulty.
Please provide strength and faith to endure the pain. Please give us comfort and peace when we are hurting. If it is your will, please provide full and complete healing in Jesus’ name.
We have faith you can do anything Lord, and we want to bring glory and honor to You. Help us to glorify You, whatever the outcome. In Jesus Name, Amen.
If you have a friend or family member who might benefit from these verses, please share this post with them.
What is the most comforting Bible verse to you in times of illness? Please add your favorites in the comments below; I’d love to hear more Scriptures.
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