Praying through Advent: Healing Prayer

While everything around us screams “holly, jolly Christmas,” this Advent season is not  joyful for everyone. Many of our friends and family seek healing of the mind, body and spirit. The best way we can help is to offer healing prayer for them.

There is no one way to pray for healing. I like this prayer because it does not require that we know much of anything at all about any particular situation we are praying for. If you’ve ever had the experience of wanting healing for yourself or another person but not knowing what you want God to do for you or them, then you know how necessary a prayer like this is.

In this prayer, you simply visualize the person in the light of God’s love and healing power. You may also visualize Jesus—the great physician—laying his hands on the subject of your prayer. Rather than using words and petitioning for God’s help, in this prayer you are trusting in the certainty of God’s loving care and leaving the outcome in God’s hands.

The Practice

• Begin by lighting a candle as a symbol of the Divine Light.

• State your intention before God. “I am praying for God’s healing of ____________.” Ask God for faith and trust in healing. Ask God for courage to let go of the outcome and to allow God’s healing to take any shape or form that God desires.

• Visualize a brilliant, warm, shining light from God surrounding you and softening your heart, mind and body. Bask in this “light of the world” for a few moments. Let it remain around you as you continue to pray.

• Visualize this warm light expanding and surrounding the person or situation that needs healing. See the light softening and releasing any dysfunction or pain. Feel love and compassion for the person or situation. Stay in prayer with this light for several minutes. In your mind’s eye, watch the light as it heals.

• If you have more than one person or situation to pray for, repeat the last step for each one.

• To complete this prayer, visualize the light that surrounded you and each prayer subject becoming more concentrated and burning brightly in your hearts.

• Close with a prayer of gratitude for the healing that takes place.

For more about spiritual direction as I practice it, check out my website. If you have questions or comments about the content of Spiritual Direction 101, please let me hear from you in the reply section below.