35 Bible Verses for Those with Chronic Illness

Living with chronic illness feels like carrying an invisible burden that others can’t fully understand. The daily battle with pain, fatigue, and unpredictable symptoms creates a unique kind of suffering that goes far beyond physical discomfort. You face cancelled plans, disappointed loved ones, and the constant question of “What’s wrong with me?” Some days you feel guilty for not being able to keep up, while others you wrestle with anger at a body that seems to have betrayed you.

But God sees every struggle, understands every limitation, and knows the weight you carry each day. He doesn’t measure your worth by your productivity or judge you for needing rest. The same God who formed you in your mother’s womb walks beside you through every flare-up, every difficult diagnosis, and every moment when hope feels distant. Your illness doesn’t disqualify you from His purposes; it often becomes the very place where His strength is most perfectly displayed through your weakness.

These verses aren’t magic formulas for instant healing, but they are promises from the One who works all things together for good, even when that good looks nothing like what we expected.

Table of Contents

Bible Verses for Those with Chronic Illness

1. 2 Corinthians 12:9 – My Grace Is Sufficient for You

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
New International Version (NIV)

2. Isaiah 41:10 – Do Not Fear, for I Am with You

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
English Standard Version (ESV)

3. Philippians 4:19 – God Will Meet All Your Needs

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
New King James Version (NKJV)

4. Matthew 11:28 – Come to Me, All You Who Are Weary

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
New Living Translation (NLT)

5. Romans 8:18 – Present Sufferings Not Worth Comparing

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

6. Isaiah 40:31 – Those Who Hope in the Lord Will Renew Their Strength

Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

7. Psalm 41:3 – The Lord Will Sustain Them on Their Sickbed

The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
King James Version (KJV)

8. 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 – Though Outwardly We Are Wasting Away

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

9. Romans 8:28 – God Works for Good in All Things

We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
The Message (MSG)

10. Psalm 73:26 – God Is the Strength of My Heart

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Amplified Bible (AMP)

11. Isaiah 43:2 – When You Pass Through the Waters

When you pass through the water, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flame will not harm you.
New English Translation (NET)

12. Psalm 34:19 – The Righteous Person May Have Many Troubles

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

13. Matthew 6:26 – Look at the Birds of the Air

Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth more than birds?
Contemporary English Version (CEV)

14. 1 Peter 5:7 – Cast All Your Anxiety on Him

Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.
Good News Translation (GNT)

15. Jeremiah 30:17 – I Will Restore You to Health

I will bring you back to health and heal your injuries, says the Lord.
New Century Version (NCV)

16. Psalm 103:2-3 – He Forgives All Your Sins and Heals All Your Diseases

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases.
International Standard Version (ISV)

17. James 5:14-15 – The Prayer Offered in Faith Will Make the Sick Person Well

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the congregation, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.
Tree of Life Version (TLV)

18. Psalm 30:2 – Lord My God, I Called to You for Help

Yahweh my God, I cried out to you and you healed me.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)

19. 3 John 1:2 – I Pray That You May Enjoy Good Health

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
World English Bible (WEB)

20. Exodus 15:26 – I Am the Lord, Who Heals You

And he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am Jehovah that healeth thee.
American Standard Version (ASV)

21. Isaiah 53:5 – By His Wounds We Are Healed

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.
Revised Standard Version (RSV)

22. Psalm 147:3 – He Heals the Brokenhearted

He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.
New American Bible (NAB)

23. Jeremiah 17:14 – Heal Me, Lord, and I Will Be Healed

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed: save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB)

24. Luke 4:40 – Jesus Laid His Hands on Each One and Healed Them

And when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
English Revised Version (ERV)

25. Malachi 4:2 – The Sun of Righteousness Will Rise with Healing

And arisen to you, ye who fear My name, hath the sun of righteousness, and healing in its wings.
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)

26. 1 Peter 2:24 – By His Wounds You Have Been Healed

who his own self bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, should live to righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.
Darby Translation (DARBY)

27. Mark 5:34 – Your Faith Has Healed You

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has cured you: go, and be in peace, and be free from your complaint.”
Weymouth New Testament (WNT)

28. Psalm 6:2 – Have Mercy on Me, Lord, for I Am Faint

Lord, haue merci on me, for Y am sijk; Lord, make me hool, for alle my boonys ben troblid.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

29. Acts 10:38 – How God Anointed Jesus with Power to Heal

How God anointed Iesus of Nazareth with the holy Ghost, and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the deuill: for God was with him.
Geneva Bible (GNV)

30. Psalm 103:5 – He Satisfies Your Desires with Good Things

Which satisfieth thy mouth with good thinges: and thy youth is renued like the Egles.
Bishop’s Bible

31. Mark 2:17 – It Is Not the Healthy Who Need a Doctor

When Jesus herde that, he sayde vnto them: The whole have no nede of the phisicion, but the sicke.
Tyndale Bible

32. Psalm 23:1-3 – He Restores My Soul

Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need! He lets me rest in the meadow grass and leads me beside the quiet streams. He gives me new strength.
The Living Bible (TLB)

33. Isaiah 40:29 – He Gives Strength to the Weary

He wraps the weary with power and might, and those who are weak become strong with vigor!
The Passion Translation (TPT)

34. Psalm 118:17 – I Will Not Die but Live

I will not die; I’m going to live to tell what the Eternal has done.
The Voice Bible (VOICE)

35. Romans 8:11 – The Spirit Gives Life to Your Mortal Bodies

The Spirit of the God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your dying bodies by means of this same Spirit living within you.
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)

Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Chronic Illness

The Bible doesn’t shy away from the reality of suffering or promise that faith automatically equals perfect health. Instead, it offers something more profound: the assurance that God works through our weaknesses, not despite them. Paul’s thorn in the flesh reminds us that sometimes the most powerful testimonies come not from dramatic healings but from sustained grace in ongoing trials.

Scripture consistently shows that God’s presence is most tangible in our most vulnerable moments. He doesn’t waste our pain but uses it to deepen our dependence on Him and increase our compassion for others who suffer. Many believers find that chronic illness, while unwanted, becomes a pathway to experiencing God’s faithfulness in ways that healthy seasons never could.

The biblical perspective on illness isn’t about explaining it away or minimizing its impact. Instead, it acknowledges the genuine struggle while pointing to a God who specializes in bringing beauty from ashes. Your illness may limit your physical capabilities, but it can’t diminish your spiritual value or separate you from God’s love.

Say This Prayer

Heavenly Father, I come to You carrying the weight of chronic illness that affects every part of my life. Some days, the pain is overwhelming, and I struggle to find hope beyond the next doctor’s appointment or treatment plan. I confess that I’ve sometimes wondered if You’ve forgotten about me or if this illness means I’ve done something wrong.

Thank You for seeing beyond my limitations to the person You created me to be. Help me to trust that Your grace is sufficient for every difficult day and that Your strength shows up most clearly when I feel weakest. Teach me to find rest in Your presence when my body can’t find physical comfort.

Give me wisdom in managing my condition and discernment in treatment decisions. Surround me with medical professionals who will listen and advocate for my needs. Help my loved ones understand what I’m going through, and give me patience when they don’t. Use my experience to comfort others who are walking similar paths.