“Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” James 5:14-15 NLT

“The blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” Matthew 11:5NLT

Why should the church pray for sick people?

• We pray for healing because it is on the heart of God.

God is revealed as the healer of disease throughout the Bible. One of His Names is Jehovah Ropheka— ‘The Lord Who Heals You’. In Exodus 15:26 NLT, He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you”.

Prayers for healing are centred not only upon God’s willingness; they are also based on Jesus’ finished work upon the cross. Jesus paid the price for our sin and sickness, and when He rose from the dead, He held in His hands the keys of death and hell. 

“He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds, you are healed.” I Peter 2:24 NLT

• We pray for healing because Jesus set us an example.

Jesus demonstrated during his earthly life by ministering healing to people. He trained and instructed His disciples to do the same too, therefore this example should be passed on to future generations of Christian believers.

 ^“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matt 28:20 NLT

• We pray for healing because it encourages people to connect with God.

Offering to pray for people who are sick encourages them to look to God in their time of need. Nowadays, there are illnesses for which there are no medical answers and when there is a felt need, people are often more responsive to prayer than any other time.

“After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. When the people recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed.” Matthew 14:34-35 NLT

• We pray for healing because God’s power is released when we pray. (Matt 18:18-20)

Even when God’s power does not manifest in the time or manner that we expect, He is still at work in ways that we do not understand.

Your prayers are powerful and do make a difference. James tells us the mystery of continued illness did not stop the early apostles praying for healing and it should not hinder us. 

“I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. ¹⁹ “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. ²⁰ For where two or three gather together as my followers,I am there among them.” Matthew 18:18-20 NLT

Prayer points:

• Pray and ask for the healing power of Jesus to be poured out in our church – “…pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16. NIV

• Pray for the gift of healing to be manifested in our church as Jesus did. “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church, God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing.” 1 Cor 12:27-28a NIV

• Pray for people to get to know Christ when being healed – “Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.” Luke 10:9 NLT