PRAYER FOR RECOVERY FROM ILLNESS Since the birth of faith, people have turned to God “who heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” for strength and recovery in times of sickness. Many of the psalms are supreme examples of such prayers. There is a deep connection, still not fully understood by medical science, between “healing of the spirit and healing of the body.” Prayer, said the sages, is not a substitute for medicine, but neither is medicine a substitute for prayer: both have their part to play in the healing process. Prayer gives strength, as does the knowledge that God is close to all who call on Him in truth. The above passages consist of three psalms long associated with deliverance from harm, together with two prayers, one for healing, the other for forgiveness, since, our tradition tells us, illness is a time for self-examination and rededication.