Praying for Healing

We are all in need of healing, so we should all be praying for healing! But what does that mean and what does it truly look like? In this post, we hope to answer some of these questions. We’ll also be taking a look at some content from the Lifehacks Bible that’s super helpful.

How Do I Pray For Healing?

First, let’s talk about who we are praying for. We can pray for healing for ourselves, for people we love, for groups of people we may or may not know, and the entire world. We can confidently pray for healing for everyone because everyone has been hurt before and everyone needs God’s deliverance.

Everyone Needs Healing

Some people are hurting in what may seem to be more severe ways than others. Perhaps you think that your friend who was recently diagnosed with cancer is more deserving of prayer than you are for your chronic digestive issues. Some of life’s challenges are more disruptive than others, it’s true. But it doesn’t mean we need to minimize our pain or the pain of others. Our Father wants us to bring all our troubles to His feet.

Healing Looks Different for Everyone

When we talk about praying for healing, we could also call it “praying for deliverance”. Ultimately, we are praying to be rescued or set free from our affliction. This extends then to not just physical ailments, but emotional, relational, and honestly, anything that doesn’t align with Shalom. The peace of God, the way things were supposed to be, shalom.

“Deliverance from enemies and evildoers is a common plea
in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.”
— Lifehacks Bible Notes

The Bible Talks About Praying for Healing

In the Gospels, Jesus heals many people. Here’s a list of some instances:

• Jesus heals the nobleman’s son (John 4:46-47)
• He heals a leper (Mark 1:40-45)
• He heals the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13)
• Jesus raises the widow’s son from the dead (Luke 7:11-18)
• He cures the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8)
• Jesus raises the ruler’s daughter from the dead (Matthew 9:18-26)

Jesus is certainly capable of healing us physically! He’s also able to deliver us from our enemies — however those enemies may present themselves. Many of the people Jesus healed asked for healing, and it was given to them. But if healing always came after we prayed for it, couldn’t we just pray for healing for the entire world? Are we just not praying enough?

These are difficult questions to answer. But the Lifehacks Bible notes has some ideas! In their article on praying for deliverance, they first ask us to read Psalm 59. Then, the Scripture is followed by some commentary and key takeaways. Let’s check it out!

Psalm 59, NIV – A Prayer for Deliverance

Deliver me from my enemies, O God;
    be my fortress against those who are attacking me.
² Deliver me from evildoers
    and save me from those who are after my blood.

³ See how they lie in wait for me!
    Fierce men conspire against me
    for no offense or sin of mine, Lord.
⁴ I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.
    Arise to help me; look on my plight!
⁵ You, Lord God Almighty,
    you who are the God of Israel,
rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
    show no mercy to wicked traitors.

⁶ They return at evening,
    snarling like dogs,
    and prowl about the city.
⁷ See what they spew from their mouths—
    the words from their lips are sharp as swords,
    and they think, “Who can hear us?”
⁸ But you laugh at them, Lord;
    you scoff at all those nations.

⁹ You are my strength, I watch for you;
    you, God, are my fortress,
¹⁰     my God on whom I can rely.

God will go before me
    and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
¹¹ But do not kill them, Lord our shield,
    or my people will forget.
In your might uproot them
    and bring them down.
¹² For the sins of their mouths,
    for the words of their lips,
    let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,
¹³     consume them in your wrath,
    consume them till they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
    that God rules over Jacob.

¹⁴ They return at evening,
    snarling like dogs,
    and prowl about the city.
¹⁵ They wander about for food
    and howl if not satisfied.
¹⁶ But I will sing of your strength,
    in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
    my refuge in times of trouble.

¹⁷ You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
    you, God, are my fortress,
    my God on whom I can rely.

Lifehacks Bible Notes on Praying for Deliverance

The Lifehacks Bible contains all kinds of notes on prayer and other topics. We really liked what they had to say about praying for healing and Psalm 59. Here it is!

In Psalm 59 we find King David engaged in one of his most frequent requests: “Deliver me from my enemies, O God . . . Deliver me from evildoers” (vv. 1–2).

The basic Old Testament concept of deliverer is expressed in a Hebrew word for “next of kin.” A close relative was responsible to aid an individual in distress and to redeem them from slavery. Oftentimes in the Bible, God served as the “next of kin” who delivered his people from trouble or danger.

Deliverance from enemies and evildoers is a common plea in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. As William E. Brown notes, the dominant idea in the New Testament is God’s deliverance from humankind’s greatest fears: sin, evil, death and judgment.
When we pray for deliverance, we should keep the following three points in mind:

Healing is based on God’s will

1. Deliverance is based on God’s will. All acts of deliverance are initiatives of God—which means he can say no. It’s not a matter of “having enough faith,” and there are no magical words we can use to ensure God will grant our request. In Gethsemane, Christ himself prayed to be delivered from having to endure crucifixion (see Mt 26:42). Yet God said no. That is why, like Jesus, we must preface our requests for deliverance with, “If it be your will.”

Healing is based on God’s timing

2. Deliverance is based on God’s timing. Even when God chooses to answer our request to deliver us from trials or temptations, his timing might not be what we would want or expect. The testing of our faith produces perseverance, and God might be delaying deliverance to make us “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (Jas 1:4). While we shouldn’t hesitate to ask for deliverance, we must be patient and trust in God’s timing.

Healing is an ongoing action of God

3. Deliverance is an ongoing action of God. If we are in Christ, God has already delivered us from his wrath and judgment. He has also delivered us from many temptations and dangers, many of which we might never even know about. When we pray for current deliverance we need to remember all the ways he has already delivered us from sin, evil and death.

PRACTICAL TAKEAWAY:
Deliverance is an ongoing action that is based on
God’s perfect will and timing.