Renew

When you or someone you love is hurting

Bible verses for healing.

Sickness and pain make prayer feel both necessary and hard to find words for. Scripture gives language for both crying out and trusting. These verses are a place to bring a body that hurts or a loved one you are worried for—held honestly, without pretending the fear is not there.

Prepared by Renew · Updated September 21, 2026 · Our editorial approach

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Renew is a faith and meditation tool, not medical care. It does not diagnose, treat, or cure any illness, and prayer is not a substitute for medical treatment. Please seek and follow the care of qualified health professionals.

Bible verses for healing and for the sick

These come from the King James Version. Read one slowly, and let it be a prayer as much as a passage.

Crying out for healing

“Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.” Jeremiah 17:14, KJV
“O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.” Psalm 30:2, KJV

Trusting God's care

“Bless the LORD, O my soul... Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.” Psalm 103:2–3, KJV
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5, KJV

When the road is long

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19, KJV
“Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him... And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.” James 5:14–15, KJV

Jesus the healer

The Gospels are full of Jesus noticing sick and hurting people—touching them, speaking to them, and calling them by name.

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” Matthew 4:23, KJV
“And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” Mark 5:34, KJV
“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Psalm 107:20, KJV

Praying for someone who is sick

When the person who is ill is someone you love, these give you words to ask on their behalf.

“The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.” Psalm 41:3, KJV
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 1:2, KJV

When you are weak and waiting

Not every illness lifts quickly. These verses hold honest weakness and a longer hope together.

“Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.” Psalm 6:2, KJV
“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16, KJV
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18, KJV
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4, KJV

A gentle way to pray for healing

You do not need the right words or enough faith measured out. Bring what you have.

  1. Say what hurts. Name the sickness, the fear, or the person, plainly to God.
  2. Ask honestly. Ask for healing, and for grace to trust however he answers.
  3. Let a verse carry you. Keep a few words—“thou hast healed me”—when your own run out. In Renew, choose how you feel and let a fitting passage be read aloud.
  4. Receive the next kindness. Rest, a call to the doctor, a meal, a friend's help—these are part of God's care, not separate from it.
  5. Return as often as you need. Healing is rarely one prayer. Come back to the verse and the asking.

Why begin with the feeling?

When you are worried or in pain, knowing which verse you need is its own burden. Naming the feeling—afraid, weary, hopeful—is more honest, and Renew uses it to choose a relevant passage and read it slowly, keeping Scripture as the anchor.

If symptoms are serious, worsening, or an emergency, seek medical help immediately. Faith and medicine are not opponents; caring for the body is part of caring for the whole person.

Questions people ask

Faith, prayer, and healing

What is a good Bible verse for healing?

Many return to Jeremiah 17:14, Psalm 103:2–3, or Isaiah 53:5. The point is less the exact verse and more praying it slowly and honestly rather than reciting it.

Does the Bible promise God will heal every sickness now?

Scripture shows God as healer and invites us to ask, but it does not promise every illness is healed on our timeline. It holds honest prayer and trust together, even in unanswered places.

Can prayer replace medical treatment?

No. Prayer and Scripture can be part of caring for the whole person, but they are not a substitute for medical care. Please seek and follow professional treatment.

Related Scripture guides

Bring the hurt honestly.

Start with how you feel. Renew will meet you with a fitting passage of Scripture and read it slowly with you.

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