Perhaps you’ve heard the term “emotional healing” and wondered what it means. In a basic sense, emotions are conscious mental reactions — such as joy, fear, anger, or sadness — to something we are experiencing.
The easiest way to understand emotional healing is to consider physical healing. When we are injured or sick, our body needs to heal. For example, if we break a leg, it hurts. Our body sends strong messages of pain — “Don’t use this body part!”
After the bone is set back into place, it grows a callus and, eventually, new bone once more. Full physical healing is when we have no more pain and the leg works again as it should. We remember the incident that caused the broken bone, but it’s just a memory. All is well again, physically.
Emotional healing is similar. Sometimes when we experience traumatic or extremely painful life circumstances, some part of us is broken within. Like a broken leg, we might avoid thinking about this experience if possible.
Or perhaps we play these events over and over in our mind like a song on repeat. The painful thoughts, feelings, and emotions interfere with our normal daily lives, or they impact our current relationships.
For example, someone who was abused might carry their pain like heavy baggage even many years after the experience, and it affects how they cope with stress, their job, their spouse and children, and even their relationship with God.
Or someone who had a rather painful experience, such as a negative breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend, might enter a new relationship expecting the same thing will happen, and because of this, keep an emotional wall up to avoid full vulnerability.
The good news is that just like with physical healing, we can have emotional healing, too. God is the Lord of our body, mind, and soul, and He cares about our emotions as much as He cares about our bodies. And God wants us to call on Him for help with emotional healing.
How can we pray for emotional healing? There are many ways to pray for emotional healing. Let’s take a look.
What Is Emotional Healing?
Emotional healing is much like a mental reset. Where once before our emotions were swirling or broken, emotional healing allows us to take proper rein over our psyche and manage our emotions so they don’t interfere with our lives, daily functioning, and current relationships.
It’s a process of acknowledging, accepting, and processing painful past experiences and emotions.
It can involve empathy, self-love and self-compassion, acceptance, and forgiveness. Mindfulness and learning new coping strategies for self-regulation can also play a part.
Ultimately, it means recovering from emotional hurt and pain that comes from hardship, whether that is being physically harmed, betrayed, rejected, abandoned, lied to, etc.
What Does the Bible Say about Emotional Healing?
The Bible has a lot to say about emotional healing. Our world is rampant with sin. Think about how Adam and Eve not only betrayed and lied to God but also hurt each other (Genesis 3).
Eve was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit, and then she offered some of it to the man. God was angry and cast them out of the Garden because of their actions.
Not only was Eve upset at the snake and herself, but she probably also experienced guilt and anguish at having encouraged Adam to do the same.
Adam was probably angry at both Eve and himself for his action. Both likely experienced anger, guilt, grief, and fear over being kicked out of their home and forced to start anew.
One could argue that we have all been trying to heal from this experience ever since.
God knows that we humans are sinful. He provided so many opportunities to help us return to Him, and ultimately, He sent Jesus to show us the way and pay our sin debt by dying on the cross for each one of us.
He knows we are broken people living in a broken world, and His commandments have always been designed to restore us to a full and perfect relationship with Him.
God cares. God knows His people suffer many things, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. He wants to heal us all.
Is Jesus the Answer?
Yes, Jesus is the answer. Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). But we are not perfect, and all is not instantly well with our souls (and bodies, and minds) forevermore because we chose to accept Jesus as our savior and committed to repent and follow Him.
As Jesus said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). And as the Apostle Paul reflected later, “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18b-19).
Jesus is the first step. He “refreshes my soul” and “guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:2-3).
But sometimes, there are further steps we must also take to surrender to Him and allow Him to do this perfect work in us. And praying as we follow these is essential.
The Book of James offers excellent and simple guidance on this. As he says in James 5:13, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.”
1. Reflect on God and God’s Word
The first step is setting our minds on God’s perfect nature and the guidance He gives us in His word. Pray to the Lord, focusing on His almighty and powerful nature.
He created the sun and the stars, the earth and the sky, the land and the sea, and every single person and creature on this planet. He set all things into motion and went before us even as He goes ahead of us.
Focusing on what we strive to be a part of — God — is an ideal first step. We might not know how we will get there, but that’s okay. Having a sense of where we want to be is a good beginning. Our identity is in God and God only. Claim this.
A prayer: Lord, You are everything — the beginning, the middle, the end, perfect unity, and love. I belong to You. I want with all my heart, mind, and soul to be one with You and in right relationship with You, restored and refreshed. Help me, Lord. Amen.
2. Read the Bible and Meditate on its Truths
We know from 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Reading the Bible plants the foundation for all healing. Psalm 1 tells us that those “whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night” are blessed (vv. 1-2). It reminds us of the right path.
Even if we didn’t have a good childhood or spent years on the wrong path, we can trust that with every verse with read in God’s Holy Word, His truth is cultivated in our soul and replaces the wrongs of yesterday with a bright and holy future.
A prayer: Oh, God, Your word has everything I need — lessons, truth, examples, guidance, every solution I could ever imagine. Please plant Your word deep in my heart and mind so I can have the right foundation to begin the healing and restoration You intend for me. Amen.
3. Tell God Where You Are
Jesus said salvation isn’t just about believing. It’s also about repentance, turning away from the old ways, and embracing the new. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Apostle Paul says that “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.” And the Apostle John says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Perhaps we played a role in our past emotional damage. Owning this truth can be a powerful place to begin. Or perhaps we were a victim through no fault of our own, preyed upon and abused.
Yet we can understand we play a role in our own emotional damage in some small way by allowing it to control or shape us still. Forgiveness is a gift to us because it brings healing, but so many of us are unable to do this without divine help.
A prayer: Heavenly Father, however, I have sinned, even if it’s the sin of not allowing myself to forgive what happened, please forgive me and help me to do right by You so I can begin to heal. Amen.
4. Set Your Mind (and Self) on the Right Path
Jesus said to repent and follow Him. We must die to our old selves. This also plays a role in emotional healing. We must control our minds.
Paul advises we “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). This can be easier said than done, but trying is the first step. And don’t look backward. Don’t be a slave to sin (whether our own or one done to us) but set free.
A prayer: Lord, let Your Holy Spirit work through me to own and control every thought and feeling that courses through me, conforming it to Your perfect will. Amen.
5. Let Go and Forgive
Let go of the root of bitterness inside of you. Put off your old self — let the “old you” die so the new life can grow and blossom in the Lord (Ephesians 4:22, John 3:3-7). It can be hard to forgive someone who has wronged or hurt us.
They don’t deserve it, but neither do we. Forgiveness is a gift to God and a gift to ourselves — it’s not really about the other person. We should forgive because God first forgave us, and He tells us to do so (Colossians 3:13).
We should forgive because it releases resentment from within us (Ephesians 4:31-32). And we should forgive because we don’t need to fight our own battles. When we belong to God, the battle belongs to Him (Exodus 14:14).
A prayer: God, let Your Spirit work in every ounce of my being to enable me to forgive and let go of the past and the pain. Amen.
Whatever you do and wherever you are, know that you are never alone. Even if it’s a pain over something you did that was evil and awful, remember: God still loves you. You belong to Him. And He will help you — now and always.
For further reading:
5 Ways to Heal the Emotional Pain of Your Past
Healing Prayers to Heal the Body, Mind, and Soul
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Mindful Media
This article is part of our prayer resources meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.
Prayers for Healing
Morning Prayers
Prayers for Family
Prayers for Surgery
Prayers for Strength
Night Prayers Before Bed
Prayers for Protection
The Lord's Prayer: Our Father
