Trusting God With Your Wounds: Bible Verses for Inner Healing
Evening casts a hushed shadow over the valley, and I pause to listen to the chimelike song of a red-eyed vireo. Our family has slipped away for a weekend in the woods, and everything about this weekend feels like an invitation to a deeper level of inner healing. Pulling out my Bible, I make a list of Bible verses for inner healing.
In the silence of the woods, I let the words wash over me and begin the process of healing me on a deeper level.
Today, I’ll share these Bible verses for inner healing. Then, we’ll talk about how to seek God for emotional and spiritual healing.
Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you find healing in God as well.
11 Bible Verses About Inner Healing
Let’s begin with the Word of God.
Bible Verses About Inner Healing
1.1 Peter 2:24 ESV
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
When Jesus died on the cross, he bore our sins. God poured his wrath out on Jesus instead of punishing us as we deserve.
Our greatest inner healing comes from turning to Jesus and receiving the gift of salvation at the cross. Because he died in our place, our relationship with God is healed. God forgives all our sins.
The first step toward inner healing is turning toward Jesus and receiving him.
2. Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
God is the great Healer. No wound is so deep that he cannot heal it.
If you need healing today, turn to him and ask him to begin the work of restoring you. In the meantime, be open to following his guidance. We’ll talk more about what this might look like at the end of today’s post.
3. Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.
God will not leave you alone in your suffering. He is with you. Turn to him for comfort.
We have hope because God never abandons us.
4. James 1:2-4
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
When life is difficult, God teaches us to endure. He builds our faith.
As you seek him for inner healing, trust that he is using this difficult time to help you grow in maturity.
5. Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
God himself will go with you through the raging waters and the fires of life.
His hand is not too short to reach out and deliver you, healing you.
6. Psalm 139:16
In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Years ago, while navigating a miscarriage, this verse brought me great comfort.
God writes all of our days before one of them exists. We don’t always understand why God allows pain, but we can trust that he is able to use it for good.
At times, I wondered if I’d ever move beyond the pain of losing an unborn child. This loss still hurts when I reflect on it, but God has brought healing to my heart as well.
We can trust God to heal us in his timing.
More Bible Verses About Inner Healing
7. Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
God is near. He will not abandon you.
Resist the temptation to turn away from him in anger or offense. He wants to heal you and bless you. He is able to redeem any loss.
8. Ecclesiastes 11:5
As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
We simply cannot understand all of God’s ways.
Ask God to help you trust him with what you cannot understand. This is where faith is tested.
9. 1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
You might be feeling anxious as you look to the future. God is inviting you to cast your worries onto him. He wants to help you live with the deep trust that he will fulfill his purpose.
10. John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
How do we discern the difference between the work of the enemy and the work of God? Satan steals, kills, and destroys. God brings life and goodness.
God permitted this difficult time, but he is not a God of destruction and death. This can be a difficult grey area to discern, but rest in this: God is always good. He wants to use this loss for good in your life and the lives of others. He will heal your heart.
11. Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
As you walk this out, God is gently inviting you to climb higher in trust. In the meantime, he will help you know him in a deeper, more experiential way. He will also make your paths straight and heal your heart. Will you turn to him today?
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Let’s now look at a practical application of these Bible verses about inner healing.
An Application of These Bible Verses About Inner Healing
The past few months have led me on a surprising journey of pursuing deeper levels of healing for wounds I thought I’d dealt with decades ago.
Unearthing these memories hasn’t been easy, but it has been so deeply healing and restorative. I’ve encountered both the fierce protectiveness and the tenderness of Jesus like never before. I’ve come to know him more deeply, and the work has been worth it.
Because we live in a broken world, we all have wounds.
God is a loving, protective Father, and he wants to heal our deepest wounds. If you’re dealing with scars that still ache or unhealed wounds, God wants to meet you where you are.
Today, we’ll look at several practical ways to begin the journey to inner healing as you learn to trust God with your wounds. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free online devotional to help you on your journey.
A Journey Toward Inner Healing
I like formulas. Much to my frustration, healing never happens according to a formula. It can’t be neatly broken into concrete steps.
I’m offering you these six insights not as a blueprint to follow concisely but as an array of basic ideas that can help you experience God’s healing for your most painful wounds.
I encourage you to take your time exploring these insights. Resist the urge to approach them like a simple to-do list. Slow down. Talk to God. Ask him to show you what he wants you to know as you dig deep for healing.
I also encourage you to pray about asking a trusted friend to take this journey with you. As we’ll discuss in greater depth shortly, we heal together, not in isolation.
God is waiting, and he wants to heal your heart. Psalm 147:3 reads, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” God is waiting to bind our wounds.
Steps Toward Healing
Let’s look at these insights together.
1. Acknowledge your need for inner healing.
The first step toward growth is recognizing your need for healing.
We all face pain, trauma, and shame attached to past mistakes. Most of us pursue relief through temporary solutions. We turn to work, relationships, and other distractions to escape the pain.
Meanwhile, only Jesus offers lasting healing. The first step in receiving his healing is recognizing our need.
Months ago, I recognized a need for God to heal part of my past. I was shocked. I’d already dealt with the issue in depth. Yet God showed me that there were layers to the wound. I’d found healing on several outer layers, but he wanted to heal me on a deeper level.
It would have been easy to brush this off and tell God I was done dealing with that old wound—to tell him I refused to dig into it again.
Instead, I did the work. He led me to deeper levels of healing as a result.
2. Share your wounds with someone you trust.
As I shared above, we heal through the context of relationships with others. This is challenging for introverts and contemplatives who would rather sit quietly and heal alone with God than take the risk of sharing with others.
In the book, How People Grow, Dr. Henry Cloud and John Townsend reiterate that we heal when we bring our wounds into the light with others. James 5:16 commands us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we might be healed. Healing happens in community.
If you’ve done the brave work of acknowledging your need for healing, sharing this need with someone you trust can be the first step toward restoration.
If you’ve done the brave work of acknowledging your need for healing, sharing this need with someone you trust can be the first step toward restoration. #innerhealing #healing Share on XYou might share with a trusted friend, spouse, pastor, or therapist. Ask God to show you a safe place to open up, and he will show you.
3. Enlist prayer support for inner healing.
As I pursued healing, I asked my closest friends to pray. I knew the work I would need to do wouldn’t be easy. My flesh would resist it.
Ask those who are close to you to pray for you to have the courage and boldness to take the journey toward inner healing. They don’t need to know the details of the journey, but their prayers can carry you.
4. Take it to Jesus.
One of the prayers I pray most often is, “Jesus, show me what I need to know about this.”
Whether I’m dealing with a defiant child or a past wound, Jesus has the answer. He doesn’t always respond immediately, but if I slow down and ask for direction, I often experience a strong sense of what I need to do.
Jesus wants to guide and direct us. 
5. Pursue God’s Word for inner healing.
Your journey toward healing might include talking with a counselor to deal with past trauma or sort through pain. God often uses trained professionals to help us move forward.
In the meantime, spend time in your Bible. Memorize verses. Study the Word. Read it daily.
God’s Word renews our minds and can help us see our wounds differently—through his eyes.
6. Persevere through the journey.
Lastly, as you walk out your journey toward deeper inner healing, recognize that it will be a process that takes time. Healing rarely happens overnight.
Don’t rush the process. Depending on the nature of the wounds you are dealing with, your journey might take months or even years. Don’t give up.
Final Thoughts on Inner Healing
No matter where you are in your relationship with Jesus, healing is possible. I invite you to begin your journey into healing by praying this prayer. Afterward, download my free devotional for hope and healing below.
A Prayer for Inner Healing
“Heavenly Father, thank you for your immense love and care for me. Thank you for wanting me to be whole. Please give me the courage to face this journey toward deeper healing. Guide me. Comfort me. Reveal yourself to me so that I might emerge changed. Amen.”
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If these Bible verses about inner healing and applications have encouraged you, I invite you to explore our family devotionals and library of free devotional eBooks below! God is pursuing you, and he wants to heal and restore you.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Connect With God
God is a good Father, and he wants us to experience his healing, deliverance, and replenishment. Most of us have learned that we cannot heal, deliver, or refresh ourselves; we need God to do this work within us. I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here! 
