One of our very best friends is at the hospital this morning to prepare for surgery to remove a brain tumor. He is a huge part of our lives, has been a faithful friend to Andrew and I for 11 years, and is an adopted uncle to our girls. He flew to another city for this surgery, and we have been feeling so far away and wishing we could be with him and his family to offer tangible support. As we fight the restlessness that comes with waiting for a major event like surgery, we are holding onto the promises of God.
Before the surgery, God has already showed up. We create our editorial calendar over a month in advance, and we scheduled our Resources topic for this week to be a prayer guide for what to pray while your child is in surgery—three weeks before we knew about our friend’s surgery. I am reminded of Proverbs 16:9, which says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.” God knew that we would need these verses to claim for our friend today even before we did. Knowing that these verses come right from the heart of God, we offer these to you to meditate on or pray as your child or loved one is back in surgery.
Download a PDF of this guide here
Prayers for God’s Presence
I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and save you.
Isaiah 46:4
Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child in her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you.
Isaiah 49:15
Now this is what the Lord says–the One who created you, Jacob, and the One who formed you, Israel–”Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you…Because you are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you.”
Isaiah 43:1-2,4
He watches over his nest like an eagle and hovers over his young; he spreads his wings, catches him, and lifts him up on his pinions. The Lord alone led him, with no help from a foreign god.
Deuteronomy 32:11-12
The Lord your God who goes before you will fight for you, just as you saw him do for you in Egypt. And you saw in the wilderness how the Lord your God carried you as a man carries his son all along the way you traveled until you reached this place.
Deuteronomy 1:30-31
He lifted them up and carried them all the days of the past.
Isaiah 63:9
The Lord holds his hand.
Psalm 37:24
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Lord, you are a God who heals. You are a God who loves. You are a God who holds and carries your children through the hardest moments. I can’t hold right now, but you can. Your heart of love is tender towards those who are yours. Carry today. Let him/her feel your presence with them. I ask that you would calm his/her heart and mind and allow to rest in your faithful love. You promise that whatever comes our way, you are there guiding us and will never let us go. Never once have we walked alone, and is not alone now. Please watch over through this surgery.
Prayers for God’s Healing
But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and playfully jump like calves from the stall.
Malachi 4:2
For I am the Lord who heals you.
Exodus 15:26
Praise the Lord, oh my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits–who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion; who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5
Heal me, oh Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are my praise.
Jeremiah 17:14
And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
Matthew 8:13
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Lord, you are the Healer. Your power that healed the centurion’s servant in Matthew is working today. You still work miracles today. Thank you for gifting the staff at the hospital with the brilliance and skill to excel at administering medical healing. Thank you for the training that the surgeons and medical staff have received to perform surgery today. We ask that you would be their wisdom and guide their hands as the ultimate physician. Please let the surgery go smoothly and with no complications. Bring a full recovery to and leave no sign of illness. Please show your healing power today.
Prayers for Hope
I rise before dawn and cry out for help; I put my hope in your word.
Psalm 119:147
You are my shelter and my shield; I put my hope in your word.
Psalm 119:114
We wait for the Lord; he is our help and shield.
Psalm 33:20
He will not fear bad news; his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord.
Psalm 112:7
Rest in God alone, my soul; for my hope comes from him.
Psalm 62:5
We who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure.
Hebrews 6:18-19
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
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God, I confess that yours is hope that I can stand on. Your hope anchors me when I feel overwhelmed because your hope is secure. Wash me in the truth of who you are as I wait during surgery today. Fill , the doctors, our family, and our community with your hope that does not disappoint. When fear, anger, and discouragement show up, help us to acknowledge the emotions and rely on you to provide love, peace, and joy in their place. Fill us with your peace that surpasses understanding. Fill us with your light. I love you, oh Lord, my strength.
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
Download a copy of this prayer guide here
You may also be interested in our prayer resources page.
In the comments: Tell us who you are praying for and what the surgery is, and we will join you in interceding for them!
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by Adelfo (Paranaque)
Dear Father,
We thank you for giving us our dearest grandchild Baby Yana Staijsea “Noey”, for the joys and laughter, inspiration, strength and hope that she has given us, especially her dearest mother Pamela.
Please hear our prayers as offer her to you Father, the Giver of Life, Our Protector, the Divine Healer. We trust in your Goodness, in Your Mercy and Love. Please grant our prayers for safe and successful heart surgery for her and please give her strength. Please bless and guide and give us strength in our preparations especially on our search for blood donors, and guide and bless and grant her doctors/surgeons/anesthesiologists/nurses/technicians and all who shall perform and assist on the procedures, with steady hands, composed minds, clear eyesight and sound faculties and grant her speedy and complete recovery.
We pray all these in the Mighty Name of Your Son Jesus. Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of Blessed Mother and all the angels and saints. Amen
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Prayer After Surgery
Surgery is a tough process. But no matter what curveballs life throws at you and how tough life is right now for you, God is there. Don’t allow the enemy to convince you that you are alone. God is with you every step of the way. You are stronger than you know, braver than you think and more loved by God than you can imagine. After your surgery, pray this prayer for continued strength: Heavenly Father, I thank you that this operation is safely past, and now I rest in Your abiding presence, relaxing every tension, releasing every care and anxiety, receiving more and more of Your healing life into every part of my being. In moments of pain, I turn to You for strength, in times of loneliness I feel Your loving nearness. Grant that Your life and love and joy may flow through me for the healing of others in Your name. Amen.
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