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.
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Table of contents
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
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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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“God will take care of everything you need.” (Philippians 4:19 The Message)
How do we trust that God will take care of us as He does the birds and the trees? Believing God’s Word will fan the flame of our faith as we live it out in hard circumstances. When the ache of the unknown looms in front us as we place our lives in the hands of surgeons, prayer gives peace to our hearts and physically tired bodies. Use this prayer for yourself, or with friends and family before heading into surgery.
A Prayer for Surgery
Father, praise You for this life. As we prepare for surgery to the body You have given us, many things flow into our minds and out of our hearts as we lie in wait. Yet, You reassure us in Exodus 15:26: “I am the Lord who heals you.”
We have an end picture in our minds as to what “healed” looks like for us, and desperately look to You for assurance that our lives and our pain will be healed. You are above all, see all, know all, and are capable of healing all. When Jesus walked the earth, He healed by the touch of His hand and the sound of His voice. We pray to feel Your healing hand upon us, Lord, and hear Your voice of peace and tranquility boom over the loud pain that throbs through our minds and bodies.
Thank You for a life that is valuable to us and to those around us. We are worth enough to worry about, and thankful enough for the life we’ve been blessed with on this earth to covet our return to it and full restoration of it. With grateful hearts we come to You in praise for the gift of being able to trod this earth and experience Your love.
Forgive us, Father, for doubting our purpose on earth. We confess just how often we run from what You are calling us to do because we feel it is too hard. And now, as we await the outcome of surgery, we feel compelled to reach back and grab every opportunity that has ever passed us by to walk behind Your Son in pursuit of Your will for our lives. Please forgive our disobedience, and lack of respect for Your timing and Your plans. Help us to place our current and future ambitions on bringing You glory, and the love of Your Son to all who know us.
Father, we trust You with our lives. For You promise us: “Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.” (Psalm 30:2)
Bless the surgeons and medical staff that will operate on us. Be with them and equip them to be extensions of Your healing hand. Remain present with me, Lord, even when I fall asleep from the pain medication. Help me to feel Your presence, and remember that You are always with me. Never leaving. Always faithful. Loving me more than I’m capable of understanding.
And now for the hardest part: Truly trusting the outcome of my life in Your hands. For it’s when our plans for healing don’t look the same as Yours that we become frustrated, and faith threatens to pull out of our hearts. Doubt can seep in through the cracks in unexpected circumstances. In those moments, Lord Jesus, strengthen us to remember You. Your ways are not our ways, because only You can claim true love for us. Only You know what is perfect and just in the daily happenings of our lives. Our time here is so fleeting, but our belief in You, Jesus, sets us apart and ensures us life everlasting. Pain free and full of peace.
Help us to hold on to that belief. To hold onto You. As we travel this road of uncertainty, send Your Holy Spirit to inspire our heart’s memory of Your sweet words of promise. Help us to recall and repeat the promises You have given us through Your Word. Be with our families and friends as they worry and wonder what the outcome will be. Inspire Your love in their hearts and assure them that my life is in Your hands.
Father, let all who know me witness my peace in this process, and know that it is from You. Thank You for life, God. Bless and heal me today through this surgery. Whether You bring me through these ailments to restore me upright on this earth, or take me through to You, I trust You… today, and always. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What are you facing today that we can join in praying for healing and peace over? Join our large praying community in the comments below.
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This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can’t find the words to pray.
Prayer for Healing
Prayer for the SickMiracle PrayerPrayer for StrengthPrayer for ProtectionMorning PrayersGood Night PrayersShort PrayersThe Lord’s PrayerSerenity PrayerA Birthday PrayerPrayer for ForgivenessPrayer for GuidancePrayers for My HusbandPrayers for My SonPrayers for My Daughter
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Prayer Before Surgery
Before surgery, it’s important to turn to God and ask Him to enable you to trust in a good outcome. Call on God to help you contribute your own share of optimism and confidence. Also, call on God to keep far from you any presumptions that it all depends exclusively on you. Welcome His presence into your surgery. If you’re looking for strength and healing before a surgery, pray this prayer: Heavenly Father, grant me joyful acceptance of the surgery which awaits me, and let this be the relief and cure which I seek. Make skilled the work of the surgeon and that of his team for it is unto their knowledge and skill that I give myself for healing. I pray to You, O Lord, that this procedure will be without complication, and that my recovery will be speedy and complete. Amen.
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