Illness & Health is one of the themes Scripture returns to again and again. Sickness is hard and God is near. Scripture does not promise easy healing in every case — but it promises that no body is forgotten.
People reach for these passages when they're looking up sick, ill, illness, disease, or some version of "what does the Bible say about illness & health?"
Among the most-cited passages on this theme are Psalm 41:3, James 5:14-15, Isaiah 53:4-5, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, and others below. Psalm 41:3 is the passage many readers return to first.
The page also offers a written prayer that names illness & health plainly and asks God for what's needed in this moment. It is not a magic formula — it is a small, faithful starting point.
A short reflection question sits at the bottom of the page: Who is one person you can ask to pray with you this week? Sit with it for a minute, or carry it into a journal.
If this isn't quite the right doorway, try a closely related theme: Suffering, Hope, Comfort.
Verses
Psalms 41:3
The LORD will sustain him on his bed of illness and restore him from his bed of sickness.
James 5:14-15
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 restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
Isaiah 53:4-5
Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Psalms 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Reflection
Who is one person you can ask to pray with you this week?
Related topics
Want to search by feeling instead? Type what's on your heart on the home page.