How to Pray for Healing When You’re Faced with Difficult Problems

Debbie McDaniel

iBelieve Contributing Writer
Updated May 13, 2021
How to Pray for Healing When You’re Faced with Difficult Problems

As believers, we can have the confidence to come before Him in humility to receive His grace and help, no matter what we’re facing.

And though sometimes, we may feel that we only have a bunch of broken pieces of life to bring before Him, that's OK because He's bigger. Christ faced greater brokenness and pain than we could ever imagine in this life. So He understands right where we are, and He cares.

Here are 5 things to help you pray for healing when you’re faced with difficult problems.

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1. Ask God to cleanse your heart:

1. Ask God to cleanse your heart:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,” Psalm 103:2-4

We can be assured that God will forgive us and help us in all the things we need to make right with Him. He is faithful to restore and to renew us again.

Know that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, and His word reminds us that God’s powerful presence is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in Spirit.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

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2. Ask others to pray with you and for you:

2. Ask others to pray with you and for you:

God often uses the prayers of those around us in great ways to bring answers to the burdens we’ve been carrying. Many times, He will bring healing through medicine or health care. The oil mentioned in this verse was often used in biblical times for medicinal purposes. It’s also symbolic of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us and a reminder that God may choose to heal us in different ways. We can be assured, that miracles still happen today.

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“We were never meant to…struggle through all on our own.”

“We were never meant to…struggle through all on our own.”

His word tells us over and over, to pray for each other, to pray constantly, to be willing to carry one another’s burdens. We were never meant to try to just struggle through all on our own. God’s Spirit connects our hearts and lives as believers in Him. We are part of His family, and we are stronger together than we would ever be on our own.

“Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well, the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:14-16 

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3. Remember, there’s often more to the story than what we can fully see:

3. Remember, there’s often more to the story than what we can fully see:

Sometimes the biggest battles we face in this life are not really all about us. They're greater than that. They’re about God bringing His glory, strength, and power straight to you, through you, so that others can see His amazing miracles displayed too.

Know that beyond a doubt, God hasn’t forgotten you. He sees you right where you are, and He cares. His timing is perfect, and His ways are good.

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From the miracle of the blind man:

From the miracle of the blind man:

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" John 9:1-2

And here are Jesus' words, that speak straight to our huge battles today...

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." John 9:3

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4. God will always heal His children, in this life or the next:

4. God will always heal His children, in this life or the next:

“For I am the Lord who heals you.” Exodus 15:26

The very presence of God is: Healer, Overcomer, Almighty God. Jesus came to heal and set free. The Holy Spirit working through us and in us as God’s children has brought miracle after miracle of healing and power.

We can rest in knowing that we WILL be healed, someday, somehow. It may not come as expected. It may not be in our own timing. It might be a slow and difficult process, or it may happen quickly. God might even heal many times before we even knew we were sick!

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But here’s what is also true:

But here’s what is also true:

There are many times that our full healing comes when we step foot into glory. That is where we will be truly freed from the struggles and pain we have faced in this life. God won’t ever waste that hard journeys we’ve battled here. He promises to use it for blessing, both in our lives and in those we love.

"In this world you will have trouble, but take courage, for I have overcome the world. " John 16:33

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“The final word over our lives belongs only to our God.”

“The final word over our lives belongs only to our God.”

God will take all that would seek to destroy us in this life: the sickness, the disease, the anxiety, the worry, the despair, the brokenness, and He will heal us. He covers us, and He carries us. He is greater than whatever we face.

The final word over our lives belongs only to our God. We are covered by His love, and we are secure in His care, both now and forever. With Christ in our lives, all the things such as cancer, disease, addiction, heartache, mental illness, or tragedy, will not win. Not ever.

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5. Believe that He is able:

5. Believe that He is able:

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Chris Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

His power is far greater than we could ever imagine. He is able to do far more than what we’re even asking Him for. Resist the temptation to put God in a box. He knows no boundaries, and He is mighty in power. Take the steps to reach out to Jesus – the One who loves you so much.

Through Christ alone, we can find true healing from physical illness and pain, from past wounds and difficult memories, from the heartache of deep loss, and even in the relationships that have been broken.

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“Let’s choose to set our eyes back on Jesus, our true strength and help.”

“Let’s choose to set our eyes back on Jesus, our true strength and help.”

“…she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.'” Mark 5:27-28

God already knows the wounds we've carried. He knows the pain we've felt. He knows how much we've tried to let go, how we’ve desperately searched for answers to the problems, or even attempted to fix things in our own power. Let’s choose to set our eyes back on Jesus, our true strength and help. Let’s cast aside our fears and move towards Him today in faith, believing that nothing is impossible for Him.

For He is able.

He is powerful.

He cares.

He heals.

He restores.

He redeems.

Debbie's HeadshotDebbie McDaniel is a writer, pastor's wife, mom to three amazing kids (and a lot of pets). Join her each morning on Fresh Day Ahead's Facebook page, for daily encouragement in living strong, free, hope-filled lives. Find her also on Twitter and at her blog www.debbiemcdaniel.com.

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Originally published Tuesday, 15 January 2019.