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How To Pray For Healing of The Sick

How To Pray For Healing of The Sick

What is pray for healing for the sick and why do some sick people get healed while others do not?

This is a complex question with lots of answers but one of the most important factors is prayer.

Pray For Healing of The Sick

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In the words of Apostle James, we have not because we ask not (James 4:2-3). But it is not just enough to pray a healing prayer for the sick; you must make sure you are praying it the right way.

So how exactly do you pray for healing? Here are a couple of helpful pointers that will show you how to pray for healing for the sick.

1. Pray in faith.

Faith is the most important component of prayer. Jesus taught it over and over again. Without faith, your prayer is empty and powerless. The Prayer of faith is one that gives no room for doubt.

A person who is praying in faith has complete confidence that God will answer them. The best illustration of this is given in Mark 11 when Jesus spoke to a fig tree.

The following day, the disciples were shocked to see the tree dried to the roots. (Mark 11:22-24).

The lesson Jesus was communicating to his disciples was faith was all they needed to achieve the impossible. If you are praying a healing prayer for a loved one, you must do it in faith, or else the prayer will not yield results.

James 1:6, 7 says ‘But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering…for let, not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord.’ It has been said that prayers that God doesn’t hear our prayers said out of doubt.

Whenever you want to pray for healing for the sick, remember to do it in faith. Faith is the currency which we use to obtain things from the kingdom.

It is our password into enjoying the blessings made available for us in Christ, ‘…the just shall live by faith.’

To ensure effective prayer for our healing, it is essential that we build our faith in God’s word. Find out what God’s word has to say about sickness and pray with it.

2. Pray with compassion.

Jesus always got his prayers answered. Whether he was praying for the sick or some other miracle, he always got results.

What was his secret? His prayers were full of compassion. He prayed for the sick because he empathized with them.

He hated to see the people suffer and he wanted nothing less than good health for them.

When he ministered to the sick, he was doing it with compassion. We see this truth revealed in Mathew’s Gospel.

But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Mathew 9:36

If you have a genuine love for the person you are praying for, you can expect your healing prayer to work.

Apostle Paul explained that any spiritual activity that we engage in without love is useless.

He went on to compare someone that was praying in tongues without love to a noisy gong or a clanging bell (1 Cor. 13:1).

Before you embark on praying for the sick, check your heart to see if there are any unresolved issues.

Jesus made it even more dramatic. He said to leave the sacrifice on the altar and go resolve any dispute first.

He understood that a prayer made in strife cannot work. You need to ensure you are praying in love.

3. Pray without ceasing.

In Luke 18, Jesus gave a parable that shows the importance of persistence in prayer. He finished the parable by asking a rhetorical question.

“When the son of man comes, will he find any faith on earth?” That’s because praying in faith often means praying consistently and persistently.

You do not make one prayer for your loved one and then leave the rest to God.

On the contrary, you keep at it until you get the answer. Or as Mathew put it, you keeping knocking, seeking, and asking until you get the answer (Mathew 7:7). That’s the real measure of faith.

Healing miracles happen differently and we may never completely understand why.

Sometimes, you make one short prayer and the sick person recovers from the sickness. Other times, you have to pray over and over again before you see the answer.

Sometimes, God heals people instantly, and sometimes, the healing takes a while to manifest.

This is why you must be committed to praying for your loved one until you get the answer to your prayers.

Also Related: 7 Ways To Fight Against Prayerlessness.

4. Laying of hands.

The doctrine of the laying of hands is a sound biblical truth and you shouldn’t shy away from it. There are many scriptures that illustrate this.

Here is one of the many instances in the Bible where Jesus laid hands on the sick while praying for them.

While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them. Luke 4:40

And no, it was not only Jesus who laid hands on the sick. Even his apostles did it. Paul is one apostle that regularly laid hands on the sick.

Here is one reference. And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. Acts 28:8

Laying of hands works hand in hand with prayer and God uses it to heal the sick too.

As you pray in faith, compassion, and without ceasing, do not forget to lay your hands on the sick individual.

You may not fully grasp how it works but the important thing is that it works. Just do it and believe God for a miracle.

Healing of The Sick

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5. The anointing oil.

Like laying of hands, the anointing oil also works hand in hand with prayer.

Even though the anointing oil was not always used when praying for the sick in the Bible, the Bible teaches that God can use the anointing oil to heal the sick too.

The following are two scriptures that illustrate this truth.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

Is any sick among you? 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 5:14).

It is worth noting that it is not actually the anointing oil that heals the sick. The anointing oil is just an emblem that represents the power of God.

In case you are wondering how and where you can get anointing oil, it doesn’t have to be some special oil. You can just buy ordinary olive oil and then consecrate it through prayer and fasting.

Even though olive oil might be a bit pricey compared to other oils, you won’t need it frequently. In the long run, it will actually prove to be very inexpensive.

Do not hesitate to start praying the healing prayer right away. Remember, the sooner you ask God for healing, the sooner your loves get healed.

Healing is the children’s bread; Matthew 15:26, the question is why do we still struggle with sicknesses and diseases?

6. Understand Prayer as a concept.

For one to pray for healing for the sick, we have to know what prayer is not. Prayer is not a tool for manipulation.

According to Andrew Murray; Prayer is not a monologue, but dialogue. God’s voice in response to mine is the essential part.

You do not pray because you want to manipulate God into doing your bidding. Effective prayer is praying God’s will for you.

Jesus shows a good example of this in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26: 39, 42. The question would be how do you know what God’s will is? That’d lead us to the next point.

7. Ask.

Matthew 7: 7 says ‘ask and it shall be given.’ James 4: 2 says ‘you lust and have not; you kill and desire to have and cannot obtain; you fight and war, yet you have not because you ask not.’

God has more to tell us that we are willing to hear. If we want to know God’s will for our health, we can simply ask Him.

His will is always found in His word. This is one key way to pray for healing for the sick  – in His will!

8. Knowing God’s Will.

It is a great thing that God did not decide to hide his will from us; instead, he put it clearly in the pages of the Bible. To pray effectively, one must know God’s will. God’s will is his word.

We cannot expect to when we don’t have God’s word built into our spirit. It is God’s will that you live in health.

Know this; never has God wanted you sick, not even as a form of punishment. It is, therefore, wrong to make statements like ‘God is using this sickness to punish me for what I did wrong.’

God is not a man; He doesn’t operate on our level of knowledge. If He sent His only Son to the cross to take away your sickness, will he then use that same thing he took away to punish you?

3 John 2 says Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospers (emphasis mine).

When you know God’s will for you is great health, you would pray with that revelation knowledge.

9. Understand that God wants you well.

There is a difference between knowing something and understanding it deeply.

When you understand something deeply, it means it has sunk into your spirit and that it becomes more real to you than anything else. This is how God’s word should be to you.

To pray effectively, you have to think in pictures. You have to have a revelational knowledge and understanding of God’s will for you regarding your health.

Until you learn to take God at his word concerning your health, you cannot pray effectively about it.

Dave Earley tackles this in his book 21 Most Effective Prayers of The Bible. The best guide to praying effectively is God’s word.

10. Build God’s Word in your spirit.

It is important you understand that God’s word is your spiritual immunity.

God’s word is medicine to our flesh according to Proverbs 4:20-22. How can we pray effectively for healing, when we have no reservoir of God’s word?

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks so if there is nothing of God’s word in your heart, what would your prayer be like?

The truth is if God’s word isn’t in your heart; then there are other words in your heart.

There would be the doctor’s words, words from friends, advice from the internet, etc, a lot of ‘words’ are struggling to take the place of God’s word in your life, which is why when some people settle down to pray, their prayer is full of unbelief.

You cannot consistently feed on the wrong words and expect to pray for healing for the sick.

God doesn’t listen to doubt, He looks out for faith and faith stands on the pillar of God’s word.

Hebrews 11:6 says ‘without faith, it is impossible to please God.’ How much of God’s word do you have in you while you pray?

Pray For Healing

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11. Forgive.

This may sound weird. Like what does forgiveness have to do with getting healed? But guess what, unforgiveness is the one thing Jesus pointed out could hinder your prayers. Matthew 5:22-2.

This simply means that there’s no need to pray if you hold something against someone in your heart because that prayer won’t be answered.

Therefore, to pray effectively, we have to make sure our hearts bear no grudges or unforgiveness.

12. Confess God’s Word.

A confession is a form of prayer because it is saying what God has said. It is applying God’s word by speaking it.

What better way to pray effectively for healing than to say over and over again, what God’s word says about your healing?

The unique thing about confession is that you speak to your body.

You tell your body what God’s word said about healing. Since prayer is a form of communication, you would communicate God’s word to your body.

Scriptures such as Romans 8:11 ‘…But if the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you’ would come in handy.

The Bible makes us understand that the power of life and death is on the tongue that is to say that you activate the power when you speak words.

Bear in mind also that your body hears you. When Jesus was to raise Lazarus from the dead, He only spoke words and it was done.

13. Pray Effectively.

1Thes 5:17 gives clear instruction. If you must pray effectively, it doesn’t have to be done at a particular time, place, or in a particular posture.

When believing God for something specific, like healing, it is important that you are conscious enough to live a ‘prayed’ life.

This simply means, being in constant communication with heaven. You don’t have to act spooky for this to be effective.

Muttering a few words to God concerning your healing at different points in the day could do the trick.

Also Related: How To Pray When You Are Under Spiritual Attack.

14. Get A List of Healing Scriptures.

In the physical realm, when defending a case, it is important you have enough evidence to support your case.

The same applies to spiritual things; you have to accumulate enough scriptures to feed on while praying for your healing.

When Jesus was tempted by the devil after his fast, for every temptation, Jesus countered with a scripture. This is how we ought to attack any unwanted situation in our lives.

15. Engage in the prayer of thanksgiving.

It would be wrong for you to think that prayer only has to do with making requests of God. In truth, prayer should always begin with thanksgiving.

In John 10:41, when Jesus was to raise Lazarus up, the first thing he did was offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for what He had done.

Jesus did not approach Lazarus’ death as a problem to be solved, but as one which had already been completed.

When we look at our healing as something which has already been completed when Jesus died on the cross, it would be easier for us to thank God for.

Thanksgiving is a seal that shows that we believe. This is another way to pray effectively for healing.

16. Praise!

The prayer of thanksgiving almost always birth songs of praises in our hearts. David was a man of praise. He never short-changed God in that area, hence he was often referred to as the man after God’s own heart.

While thanking God for answers to your prayers for healing, endeavor to burst in praises.

Praise him even when you don’t feel like and you would find your body beginning to conform to the prayers and praises.

Bible Verses about Healing Sickness.

  • James 5:14-15:

“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.”

  • Psalm 103:2-3:

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.”

  • Jeremiah 17:14:

“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”

  • Matthew 8:16-17:

“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.'”

  • Exodus 15:26:

“He said, ‘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.'”

  • Mark 11:24:

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

  • Psalm 41:3:

“The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness.”

  • Isaiah 53:5:

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

  • 1 Peter 2:24:

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds, you have been healed.”

  • Psalm 107:19-20:

“Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.”

  • Matthew 9:22:

“Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.”

  • 3 John 1:2:

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”

  • Mark 5:34:

“He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.'”

These powerful verses from the Bible provide guidance and encouragement on how to pray for healing of the sick and highlight God’s power to heal.

Conclusion

The above tips will assist us in our desire to learn to pray for healing for the sick, doesn’t have to be as hard.

Put the above-mentioned tips to good use and you will see the difference in the health of your loved ones.

How To Pray For Healing for The Sick Resources

How to Heal the Sick

The Healing Breakthrough

HOW TO PRAY FOR THE SICK

The Essential Guide to Healing: Equipping All Christians to Pray for the Sick

Videos.

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