Sacred texts · Bible
24 Bible verses for healing and comfort
Many people look for Bible verses for healing when they are sick or someone they love is. The Bible isn’t a prescription: these texts don’t promise a medical outcome. They offer words to pray with, to hold on while you wait, and to know you are not alone. In Ezekiel 34:16, God says he “will strengthen that which was sick,” speaking of a flock he cares for.
This page gathers comforting verses for days of illness, about the link between heart and body, and for waiting on a test result or surgery. They are quoted word for word from the King James Version and come from the Selfia app. They go alongside medical care, never instead of it: Selfia is not a medical device. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 in the US, call Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK, or find a local line at findahelpline.com.
Comforting Bible verses when you are sick
These verses speak of strength that fails, a body wearing out and a presence that stays. They were written by people who were tired, aging or tested, and they can be read in bed, in the hospital or during treatment.
I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.
And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.
For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
Heart and body: verses from Proverbs and Psalms
Israel’s sages noticed the link between the state of the heart and the state of the body: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,” says Proverbs. These verses don’t replace any treatment; they invite you to care for what is happening inside as well.
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
A sound heart is the life of the flesh.
Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
Their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
Bible verses for waiting on results, surgery or a hospital stay
Waiting for a diagnosis or an operation can be as hard as the illness itself. These verses speak of a heart that stays steady in the face of evil tidings, a hand that leads, and waiting handed over to God.
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.
I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
The Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son.
And he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.
How to pray with these verses during illness
When you are sick, focus is often in short supply. Keep one short verse, write it in large letters on a card, and set it by your bed. You can read it before a scan, during an infusion or as you fall asleep. If you are praying for someone you love, add their name to the prayer that follows the verse.
You can also pray with your questions, the way the Psalms do, without trying to look strong. And if you are too tired to read, ask someone to read the verse aloud for you: it is an old way of praying together.
Frequently asked questions
What Bible verse can I read for someone who is sick?
You can start with Psalm 23 or Isaiah 41:10, then read the ones on this page: Jeremiah 31:25 speaks of a God who has “satiated the weary soul,” and Psalm 73:26 calls God “the strength of my heart.” These texts go with prayer for the sick; they don’t promise a medical outcome.
Does the Bible promise healing to those who pray?
The Bible tells of healings, but it also speaks of believers who stay sick: Paul mentions “a thorn in the flesh” that is not taken away. Prayer isn’t a medical guarantee. These verses can help you get through illness, alongside medical care, without feeling guilty if healing is slow to come.
Can these verses replace treatment?
No. Selfia is not a medical device, and these verses don’t replace a doctor or a treatment. They can support your spirits and your prayer during care. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 in the US, call Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK, or find a local line at findahelpline.com.