Healing prayers can be made for friends. We see multiple instances in the Bible where Jesus healed the sick not just because of the sick person’s faith, but also because of the faith of his friends.
In Matthew 9:1-2, a paralyzed man was brought to Jesus. Scripture says that when Jesus saw their faith, Jesus declared: “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” This means that the sin that caused the man’s paralysis was then being forgiven, thus freeing him from the physical bondage of paralysis. Similarly, in Luke 5: 17-20, another paralytic was brought to Jesus by his friends. Again, Jesus saw the faith of the man’s friends, and immediately, he healed the paralyzed man.
The prayers that we offer to God need not always be about us. The gift and ministry of prophetic healing and deliverance is not just for our own personal lives, but also for the healing of God’s people. Whenever we pray for others, God listens and hears us (Eph. 6:18). God often speaks to our hearts, asking us to offer a healing prayer for a friend, an officemate, a neighbor, or even a stranger.
Prayers for healing and deliverance are birthed from faith; consequently, they beget worship and awe of God. In the Bible, Jesus was able to heal those who were sick because of their faith; as response, all those who witnessed the healing worshipped and glorified God in amazement every single time (Mt. 9:1-8; Mk. 2:1-12). In the same way, whenever we offer a healing prayer for a friend, we are not only exercising our faith that God will heal the person; we are also praying for this person’s healing in order for the name of God to be honored and worshiped. As John 14:13 says, whatever we ask for in the name of Jesus, he will give, so that God the Father will be glorified.
