Bible verses for healing offer comfort when we don’t understand why we are suffering with pain, chronic illness, a nasty infection, or trauma. They can also teach us about God’s character and promises during suffering and what God might be teaching us.
When I coach people with chronic illness, we talk about Bible verses for healing on which clients can focus to help them renew their minds and set their hearts on Jesus. This empowers them to have the self-discipline to do the hard things they need to do to recover.
I offer these Bible verses for healing to you to help you focus on Christ, not on your circumstances. Ask him what he would have you do to improve your health. Ask him if there are things you need to change in your life.
Verses from the Old Testament
God responds to our obedience and prayers.
In these Bible verses for healing, God responds to our obedience and prayers. When we follow Jesus and not the world, we do not suffer the same diseases as everyone else. As you meditate on these verses, ask God to show you any area of your life in which you have allowed temptation to get the better of you. Maybe it’s fake food. Maybe it’s sitting around too much, watching television or your phone. Or, maybe it’s being too busy with work and other activities. After all, sometimes God allows illness to force us to be still and listen to his voice, whispering.
Exodus 15: 26 (NIV): He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of 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.”
2 Kings 20: 5-7 (NIV): “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’” Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.
Psalm 30: 2 (NIV): O Lord, my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.
Give thanks and praise for who God is.
Gratefulness is at the heart of these Bible verses for healing. God is worthy to be praised because he loves us and is the creator of all things. Through our suffering, he makes us more like himself. Through our suffering, he teaches us and invites us to a closer relationship with him. We learn to depend on him and cry out to him even as we worship him.
Psalm 103: 1-5 (NIV): Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget 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, renewing your youth like the eagle’s.
Psalm 107: 20-21 (NIV): He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave; Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
Malachi 4: 2 (NIV): “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.”
Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV): Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.
Sometimes God heals to draw us to himself.
Sometimes God chooses to heal the unbeliever before he heals the believer so that the unbeliever might come to know him, too. Our God is a God of compassion.
Isaiah 57: 18 (NIV): “I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him.”
Jeremiah 33: 6 (NIV): “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it (the city); I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”
New Testament Bible verses for healing
Jesus heals us.
These Bible verses for healing are, of course, not the only ones that feature Jesus healing someone. He healed many, many people and showed his power and love while he was here among us. These are just a small sample. Some things that aren’t included in the verses below are that Jesus often said “your faith has made you well” (Luke 17: 11-19, Matt. 9: 20-22, and Mark 10: 46-52) and the Bible says that he could do no miracles in his own town because of their unbelief (Mark 6:5, Matt. 13:58).
Your attitude and actions matter.
If you don’t believe you will get well, then you won’t. If you believe that you can be healed, there is a better chance that you will experience some measure of relief. And no, your health is not an indicator of how strong your faith is!
The health and wealth movement is a false doctrine.
But, most chronic health issues are a result of our own lifestyle choices, and are an outworking of the “reap what you sow” Biblical truth. This is why it is important to ask the Lord if he is trying to tell you something about your life.
If you are praying for healing, but you keep eating man’s fake food, stay up late watching Netflix, and have a contentious, negative attitude, you are not being obedient to the Lord, my dear sister.
A few Bible verses for healing that show Jesus’ miracles
Mark 1: 40-42 (NIV): A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
Matthew 9: 35 (NIV): Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
And he comforts us.
Romans 5: 3-5 (NIV): We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. whom he has given us.
2 Corinthians 1: 3-5 (NIV): Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
Philippians 4: 6-7 (NIV): Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
James 1: 12 (NIV): Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of lie that God has promised to those who love him.
1 Peter 5: 7 (NIV): Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
And believers, through Christ’s power, heal others.
I love these Bible verses for healing because they always mention preaching, prayer, and healing together. And, interestingly, in most cultures and through most of history, healing has been associated with religion and spiritual practices. It is an important part of missionary work worldwide, whether it’s God’s miraculous healing or Christians bringing clean water, nutritious food, and medical supplies. We are the remedy, with Christ in our hearts.
Mark 16: 15-18 (NIV): He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; the will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Luke 9: 1-2 (NIV): When Jesus had call the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
James 5:16 (NIV): Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
And our Heavenly city will heal nations.
Revelations 22: 1-2 (NIV): The the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
Republished with permission from Blogs.crossmap.com, featuring inspiring Bible verses about 20 Uplifting Bible Verses for Healing to Treasure.
