12 Verses to Pray Over a Hurting Friend

Your friend is hurting, and you feel helpless. If you’ve passed your eighth birthday, you likely know what that feels like. And it seems that I daily find myself looking for ways to best serve a hurting friend.

One friend recently returned to the ring fighting cancer in a third round of chemo. Another friend navigates a new normal after burying her husband last year. Yet another writes her son in prison. One friend battles betrayal. Another takes it one day at a time in a rehab center. Yet another wrestles with crippling anxiety. And the list goes on.

We can’t fix their hurting or erase their heartache. But that doesn’t excuse us from doing what we can to ease the pain. Some. Even if it’s only for a fleeting moment.

In an upcoming post, I’ll talk about a variety of things we can do to reach out to the broken, but today let’s zoom in on prayer.

Oswald Chambers says, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.”

Prayer is our starting line.

If you’re like me, you take comfort in knowing a friend is praying for you. Peace washes over me when I know I have a sincere prayer partner standing with me in a storm.

And Isaiah 40:8 shows us where to stand. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

We can hold a hurting friend, cry with her, wash her dishes, pick her kids up from school, and fix a supper but when we pray Scripture over her, we’re giving her a gift that God will sink deep into her soul and give it strong roots.

We can cry with a hurting friend, fix a supper, wash her dishes but when we pray Scripture over her, we're giving her a gift that God will sink deep into her soul and give it strong roots. Click To Tweet

Here are 12 of the verses I pray over my suffering sister-friends. I’ve included a sample prayer as well.

God is Present
Isaiah 41:10

“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.”

Father God, thank You for your presence with Allison. Replace her fear with fortitude. You alone are righteous and almighty, uphold her, Lord. Strengthen her and send her all the help she needs. Thank You! It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

God Saves
Psalm 34:18

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

God is Compassionate
Psalm 116:5

“The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.”

God Provides Peace
Numbers 6:24-26

“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”

God Gives Favor
Psalm 84:11

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.”

God is a Fortress
Psalm 62:5-7

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.”

God Grants Wisdom
Isaiah 33:6

“He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”

God is a Refuge
Psalm 9:9-10

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

God Hears Our Prayers
Psalm 17:5-7

“My steps have held to your paths;
my feet have not stumbled.
I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.
Show me the wonders of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.”

God Restores the Weary
Isaiah 40:29

“He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.”

God Supplies Needs
Philippians 4:19

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

God is the Source of Hope
Psalm 25:5

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Do you pray Scripture  over hurting friends? What are some of the verses you use?

Would you do me a favor and share this post?