5 Prayers to Trust God with a Difficult Health Journey

Health is precious and precarious. Precious because we all long for good health, and most of us try to take preventive care and caution to avoid being unhealthy or damaging our bodies. Precarious because even with our best efforts, sometime in our lifetime, we will encounter a difficult health journey. Our bodies aren’t infallible or invincible. The Bible contains stories of sick people begging Jesus for a miraculous healing. Yet, even when granted, it’s no guarantee that another disease or illness may not overtake them later. God never promises we won’t experience health challenges, but He does promise He’ll always be with us through the journey.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33

My husband and I have experienced numerous difficult health journeys between us. I’m a three-time breast cancer survivor, and he’s had two knee replacements, two spinal surgeries, reconstructive foot surgery, and is looking at two shoulder replacement surgeries soon. Friends and family are calling him the bionic man. With the recent back surgeries, he commented that he couldn’t imagine going through this arduous health journey without knowing people are praying for us. We’re grateful for their prayers as we pray for others.

Sometimes, it’s hard to pray for ourselves and trust God even more than our physicians when life seems spinning out of control. Here are 5 prayers to pray when doubts, fears, and pain seem more than you can bear and the prayer words don’t come readily.

“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.” Ps. 107:19 NLT

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1. Prayer to Trust God with Questions and Doubts

1. Prayer to Trust God with Questions and Doubts

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“You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the Lord always,
for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4 NLT

Dear Father, I’m devastated by what’s happening to my health, and I cry out to you, “Why?” Why did you let this happen to me? Why am I going through this? Why am I in such pain, and when will it ever end? Lord, these are my laments that torment me in the dark of night when I can’t sleep, and peace won’t come? Have I made the right treatment decisions? How long will I feel this bad? How is this all going to turn out?

Holy Spirit surround me with confidence. Give me the peace and solace that only You can provide. As I take these concerns to You, please help me to be quiet and listen for Your answers. Maybe they’ll come in a worship song or a Scripture. Maybe it will be words of encouragement from my family and friends.

Jesus, I know You cried out in Your time of torment, “If it be Your will, take this cup of suffering from me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not mine.” Please, God, give me the trust in You and the same assurance You gave Your Son to surrender to You the outcome and prognosis. Calm my mind and emotions when I can’t sleep and remind me to only focus on today, which has enough worries of its own, and let tomorrow rest in Your capable hands. Amen

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2. Prayer to Trust God’s Love To Overcome Fear

2. Prayer to Trust God’s Love To Overcome Fear

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“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Lord, I’m so afraid. Afraid of the pain. Afraid of the unknown. Afraid of what the future might hold. Afraid for my family. Afraid of the treatment. Afraid the treatment won’t work. Afraid of the recovery process. Help me, Lord, to put all my trust in You and stop trying to lean on my own understanding. I know you created me, and you knew this would happen to me before I did. Remind me that You haven’t left my side and that You tell me I’m the apple of Your eye. You love me with an endless, encompassing, compassionate love. When I feel alone, I can trust that You will NEVER leave me or forsake me. You’re always there. Even though I’ve not always been faithful to You, You’re always faithful to me. Calm my heart, Lord. Even though I might walk through the darkest valley, I trust You’re right there with me, so how could I fear? Remind me that you love me dearly, and in 1 John 4:17, you say that “Such love has no fear. Your perfect love expels all fear.” So I will fear not. Amen

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3. Prayer to Trust God’s Promises

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“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
Romans 8:26

Father, I know You never promised that I would be free of difficult times or have perfect health in this world, but You do promise You will always be with me. Help me to open up Your Word, my Bible, and find some of those promises of light in the darkness of my difficult circumstances. I know Psalm 119:105 tells me that “Your word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path,” but there are times, Lord, when I can’t even pick up my Bible to read. In those moments when my Bible feels too heavy physically or emotionally, please bring Your words of promise into my mind, of Scriptures I’ve read so many times.

I need your promises to flood my mind and heart. Promises like Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you: you need only to be still.” Help me, Lord, to be still and know that You are God and I am not. I am not in control of the outcome, but you are. Remind me of Your promise, Lord, to work everything together for my good. You will show me a purpose in my suffering and this difficult health journey that I would never choose to be on if given the choice. I’m trusting you with my life. Thank you that no matter how this journey on earth ends, and it will someday, that because I know and trust You as my Lord and Savior, I will spend eternity with You where You will clothe me with a new perfect body. I claim that promise, Lord, for my life. Amen

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4. Prayer to Trust the Medical Team and Caregivers

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Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Galations 6:2 NLT

Lord, I pray for You to help me make wise decisions when choosing my medical team. Please bless me with physicians and staff who will work together to help me heal and recover. I may not always understand their medical explanations or the reasons behind their suggested treatment, but I do trust that they are working in tandem to give me the best possible result. Please bless their lives, health, family, and personal lives. Give them stamina and good rest when their head hits the pillow. Remind me at each appointment and interaction to tell them that I’m praying for them, and I’ve also asked my prayer team to pray for them.

For those who aren’t believers, I pray they’ll see that while I’m trusting them for my medical treatment, my eternal trust is in You alone. They’re working to improve my earthly health, but only You, Lord, will give me eternal health. Praise You, for the assurance that this world is not my forever home.

Lord, You are Jehovah Rapha, the Great Physician, and I trust that You are guiding my medical team with the skills and abilities You’ve given each one. Help me to be kind and appreciative even when I’m going through hard and painful things. Don’t let me take it out on them.

I know it’s challenging and tiring for those who care for me. Give me patience, gratitude, and words to express how much I appreciate the sacrifice they’re making for me. Remind me that they’re only trying to help me even when it’s painful, embarrassing, and uncomfortable. Let me witness Christian love well, and prompt me to ask how I can pray for them.

Thank you, Lord, for those who’ve devoted their life to being a part of other people’s difficult journeys. Amen

5. Prayer to Not Lose Hope

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“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLT

Lord, I know that this arduous journey will not last forever. Help me remember all the hard times you’ve rescued me in the past. Strengthen my faith to endure the current trials and to trust that whatever the outcome, You will be in it. Whether I survive or go home to be with You, I know the plans You have for me are for good and not for harm to give me hope and a future, either here on earth or with You.

If I lose hope, I will also lose the will to fight and overcome these challenges. I need to put my hope in you to carry me through until the completion of my journey. You’ve always been there with me through the good times and the bad, and I trust you won’t leave me now. You will give me a testimony of your unfailing love and support in all circumstances. I want to experience Your peace that passes all understanding and ask You, Father, to lift me out of the mire and quicksand of despair.

Help me to hang on tightly to what seems like a thin thread of hope, knowing that You’re the One holding tightly to the other end of the thread. You’ve got this, Lord, and my hope is in You. When I despair and am discouraged, you assure me my hope will not lead to disappointment. I pray with the apostle Paul that I can rejoice in my confident hope. I will be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Amen

As a Christian, you’ll have good days and bad days, good healthy days and bad unhealthy days, but you’ll never have a day without God, who is always close to us in prayer. Praise His Name in the good and the bad. Trust Him.

“For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better.” Philippians 1:20-22 NLT