Does prayer contribute to healing our bodies and minds? Many people grapple with this question when confronted with acute pain or serious disease that seems above our human coping abilities. The Bible and scientific research have a lot to say in response to this question.
Isaiah 53:5, for instance, tells us: But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
And 1 Peter 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed, and Psalm 30:2 “Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.”
Not to mention James 5:14-15: Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
And Proverbs 4:20-22 tells us how God and His Word can bring healing to the whole body: “My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to the one’s whole body.”
These promises inspire us to involve God in our sickness as we seek healing. There is no denying that prayer, in general, positively influences healing. Noetic science (the science that studies the influence of inner wisdom) has long understood the connection between the mind and the body. Numerous studies have analyzed how a person’s mental condition can positively influence physical health. Likewise, brain neurology has studied how our thought patterns direct the release of hormones and chemicals in our bodies. Leading brain neurologists like Dr. Caroline Leaf have discovered that modern science proves that the principles of thought laid out in the Scriptures are correct: Positive thinking strengthens our immune systems and overall health, and negative thinking undermines them.
That is where the power of prayer can help us in different ways:
- Direct appeal for supernatural healing.
It is right to ask God to heal us when facing physical challenges. We may do so ourselves through personal prayer, asking elders, pastors, or people with the spiritual gift of healing (see 1 Corinthians 12:9), or with the help of friends interceding for us. The Bible invites us to bring our requests to God and do so persistently, with faith in an almighty God Who can heal our bodies and minds from infirmity or disease. We must, however, remember that God is sovereign in His will and has a purpose for our good in everything. If He heals us, He will show us what we must do with that healing. If He does not heal us, He has a purpose for what ails us, and we must find out what it is – not unlike the Apostle Paul, who asked the Lord three times to heal him from his ailment only to find out that God wanted him to have it for a reason, namely, to make His strength perfect in Paul’s weakness. - Turning over our concerns to God.
Philippians 4:6-7 gives us an amazing promise: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Pain, sickness, disease, and all other forms of physical trauma worry us. Will we die? Will we get well? Will my life ever be the same? How long will my pain last? Turning those worries over to God leads to a peace that transcends understanding and guards our hearts and minds. In other words, prayer leads to a supernatural peace that defies logical reasoning and permeates our thoughts and emotions. It’s an inner peace that we cannot find within ourselves. It can only come from God. Science has established that the mind at peace facilitates bodily healing, so by employing prayer to place our lives in God’s hands and alleviate our worries, we indirectly promote the healing of our bodies. - Seeking wisdom in treatment.
When we receive the diagnosis of an ailment, finding the proper treatment can sometimes be like looking for a needle in a haystack. We need God’s wisdom. And according to James 1:5, it is only a prayer away: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. Often, mainstream medicine can only go so far in treating a disease or ailment and fails to establish a connection between various systems that talk to each other inside our bodies (brain, body & spirit). By asking God to lead us to the right specialists, we involve His guiding hand in the medical world along with help from biblically based prayer and counseling to promote our whole person’s healing. - The care of others expressed in prayer.
Researchers have found that TLC contributes to healing. Inviting others to pray over us not only bolsters our faith but fills us with warmth and joy. Those positive emotions boost our body’s power to heal itself. They release the chemicals needed for our body to fight off disease and renew itself (which is called plasticity). Isolation leads to depression, which in turn leads to the release of toxic stress chemicals in our bodies that weaken our immune system and plasticity. - Not allowing your disease or ailment to become your identity.
It might surprise you that the spiritual warfare aspect of prayer may promote healing in your body. Satan attacks us when we are at our weakest, and he will use a debilitating disease to fill our minds with thoughts of doubt, discouragement, despair, and fear. Praying through the spiritual armor described in Ephesians 6:13-18 will help strengthen our thinking, protect it from the wrong mindsets, and steel it against fear and doubt. Keep replacing lies from the enemy with God’s truth and promises.
In addition, research has found that those who considered their disease, illness, or affliction a hostile invader that doesn’t belong in their body and needs to be driven out stood a better chance at healing than those who made friends with it and began seeing it as part of them – making their disease their identity. In essence, you’re fighting a battle through prayer on two fronts: the invading illness and the devil who tries to use it to get the better of you.
For all these reasons, we see that prayer promotes healing because it is our lifeline of communication with God. He has invited us to seek His power, strength, and comfort in our healing process. How He answers and when are up to Him, understanding that the outcome will be to His glory and purposes and not ours. Believing Romans 8:28 is key in trusting in God’s sovereignty in our lives. “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” God has designed all our physiological systems – spirit, mind, and body – to be connected. Healing, therefore, is multi-faceted. What happens in our spirits impacts our minds, and what happens in our minds impacts our bodies. He is interested in healing all parts of us!