How to Use Healing Scriptures and Prayers

Someone has said that prayer is not about overcoming God's reluctance, but about laying hold of His willingness. This can also be said of healing ministry—it is not about overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness to heal. God's willingness to heal is seen in His Word, where He has repeatedly revealed His desire to heal His people. This book is designed to help you lay hold of God's willingness to heal you by laying hold of His Word and praying it back to Him.

The Scriptures
Most of the Scriptures in this book are directly related to healing. Some are included because they demonstrate God's continuing desire to bless His people in every way. Others are included because they relate to the operation of faith—an important factor in receiving healing.

Begin reading these healing Scriptures out loud, so that your eyes see them, your mouth speaks them, your ears hear them, your body feels the rhythm of the words, and your mind perceives them. More importantly, keep reading them and let the words penetrate into your heart and into your spirit.

The Bible says that "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10.17). This happens by an action of the Holy Spirit, so ask the Holy Spirit to make these Scriptures come alive inside you. Then begin to speak them out in faith. Jesus said that the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart.

The Word of God reveals the will of God, and so enables us to pray effectively. "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him" (1 John 5.14,15). Healing is the will of God for His people, as these Scriptures show, so pray confidently, knowing that He hears you, and that you will receive your healing.

The Prayers
As you welcome the Word of God and meditate on it, and faith begins to stir in your heart, start praying the Word back to Him. This honor's God because His Word reveals His heart, and when you pray it back to Him, your heart begins to line up with His. Remember that you are not just seeking the healing, you are seeking the Healer.

The prayers in this book are designed to help you exercise your faith and pray the healing Scriptures back to God. Faith comes by hearing, but it is exercised by what you say, and by what you pray. Jesus said that faith is like a mustard seed—it is not the size that is important, its what you do with it. A seed must be planted, and prayer is one way to do that.

These prayers do not include, "if it be Thy will." This is because the will of God concerning healing has been made known, as the healing Scriptures in this book attest. "If it be Thy will" is appropriate for prayers of dedication or consecration, but not for prayers of healing, where the will of God has already been revealed.

Don't feel limited by these prayers. They are merely examples to give you a place to begin. They are a framework to lend you support, not a structure to confine you. So feel free to alter, expand or discard them as you will. The important thing is to respond with faith to the healing Word of God. If you would like to use these prayers to pray for healing for someone else, simply insert his or her name wherever appropriate.

When you begin praying, don't be in a hurry. Take your time and pray slowly. As you do, you may find that you feel an inward desire to expand upon some particular point. That is the Holy Spirit prompting you, and if you listen carefully, He will give you words to pray back to the Father. Go with this as far as the Spirit leads you.

When you come to the end, sit quietly and contemplate what the Spirit has given you. If you wish, you can pick up the prayer where you left off, and continue until the Spirit gives you more. When you come to the end of your prayer time, simply give thanks and praise to God and welcome His healing power at work in your life.

• Take these Scriptures like medicine. Read them regularly and meditate on them as much as you can. The more you let them fill your heart, the more your faith will grow, and the more effective (and joyful) your prayers will be.
• Prayer is not magical and it is not mechanical. It is a vital and ongoing relationship with the Lord. Faith is not positive thinking. Positive thinking is about what we can do. Faith is about believing God and what He has said.
• Pray these prayers by faith, not by sight. What you experience with your senses must eventually line up with the truth of God's Word.
• These prayers are not intended to replace your current treatment. If you are on medication, do not quit taking it until you have seen your doctor and he has confirmed your healing.
• Pray in expectation. Watch for your healing, not for the symptoms of sickness. Begin to do things you could not do before.
• If there is any unconfessed sin in your life, it may be an obstacle to your healing, so bring it to the Lord. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1.9). Repentance is a wonderful thing because it is an opportunity to begin again.
• Forgive others. Lack of forgiveness can hinder your prayers, and so hinder your healing. Jesus said, "Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses" (Mark 11.25).
• In the healing ministry of Jesus, sometimes there were demonic forces at work behind various sicknesses and conditions, and Jesus had to expel these in order to bring about healing. If you have reason to suspect that such forces may be involved in your illness, you may need to seek out help from someone who is experienced in deliverance ministry.

One final word
This book assumes that the reader has received the Lord Jesus Christ and is born again by the Spirit of God. This is important because the ministry of Jesus on the Cross is the basis for all healing. The Bible says, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation, for everyone who believes" (Romans 1.16). The Greek word for "salvation" is sozo and means to save, heal, deliver, make whole and preserve.

The Bible says, "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10.9,10). With the heart we believe, with the mouth we confess. That is how faith works.

If you have never received the Lord Jesus Christ and experienced new life in Him, you can do it right now. Let this simple prayer be a guide:

Dear Lord,
I confess that I am a sinner and that I have come short of your glory. But I believe that You love me and that Jesus died on the Cross for my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from the dead. I now receive Your wonderful gift of salvation through Jesus Christ my Lord, and I ask you to fill me with Your Holy Spirit.

If you prayed that prayer and meant it in your heart, you have just entered into a new and wonderful relationship with God. All the blessings and promises of God, and the saving benefits of the Lord Jesus Christ belong now to you.

Receive your healing now—in Jesus' name.

© 2003 Jeff Doles

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