The first time I was in the room when someone experienced healing from God I was completely amazed. In my experience at the church I had been attending I hadn't heard these kinds of prayers yet. When someone was praying for healing I usually heard phrases that invited God's peace over the situation no matter the outcome - a great thing to pray for.
But I remember feeling a deeper sense of faith in this person's prayer as they reached out their hand to touch someone in need of healing. There was a declaration of God as healer, there was an invitation for God to heal, there was a powerful, often repeated statement "in Jesus' name!" and then, there was healing.
Since then I have both seen and experienced healing as a Christian and I believe this is the rule in God's Kingdom, not the exception.
If you're wanting to step out and pray for healing for others, hoping to experience God's healing power in your own life or wondering how and why praying for healing works this is for you.
1. Don't overthink it - it's who God is
If praying for healing feels uncomfortable or awkward to you, start by looking to the character of God. I've heard many Christians ask the question, "but what if it's not God's will?" This can feel like a very legitimate question. If you're caught up in the theology of healing, begin with God's character.
One of God's names is "Jehovah Rapha" or "the God who heals." God's name tells us that it is part of His character to heal. Throughout the Bible we see God's healing power on display and we can trust that His character gives us plenty of space to pray for healing.
Instead of focusing too much on the specific words you pray, on if you pray in person while laying hands on someone or if you're praying over a voice message over text or praying quietly alone without anyone watching (all of which are ways I've seen people experience God's healing power!) focus on who God is.
Ask Him to help you know Him and believe Him to be "the God who heals" and pray from this heart posture.
2. Pray Scripture
Whenever you're in a situation when you don't know how or what to pray my advice will always be the same: go find it in the Bible and pray scripture. God's Word is incredibly powerful and when we don't have the words to pray, He does.
Here are some specific examples of verses that might apply to pray for different healing situations needed:
For physical sickness: "The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness"(Psalm 41:3 NIV.)
For mental illness: "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28 NIV.)
For spiritual healing: "He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake" (Psalm 23:3 NIV.)
For emotional healing: "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3 NIV.)
These are just a few examples of verses that can be prayed for healing. You can also look for specific stories in the Bible on healing and pray from those verses.
3. Pray in Jesus' name
Sometimes it can feel like when people speak the name of Jesus in the context of praying for healing that it is thought of as a magic word. When you are praying for healing it's important to pray with Jesus' name not because we think the word has some mystical power to it but because of the power behind Jesus' name.
Isaiah 53:5 says, "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."
We pray with the power of Jesus' name when we pray for healing because by doing so we are declaring the power of the cross over any physical, mental, spiritual or emotional healing need. The cross accomplished salvation but it also involved Jesus conquering death with His resurrected life. This gives believers today access to the Holy Spirit and the healing power of God.
If you or someone in your life needs healing, start praying for healing today by not overthinking it, praying scripture, and praying in Jesus' name.
I can't wait to hear all of the testimonies of knowing God as "the God who heals" that come out of your prayers!