Surgery

[Chrysostom]

Thank you for sharing your heart so honestly. We have heard your request and we are praying for you as you face this revision surgery on Nov .

It is understandable to feel very scared. Facing another amputation, living with ongoing pain from a fractured bone and tumors, and doing this without your mother beside you is a heavy burden to carry. The Lord sees your fear about anesthesia awareness and about pain, and He is near to you in it. He does not despise a trembling heart, and He invites you to bring every fear to Him.

We are praying that God will give skill and wisdom to your surgeons and to the whole medical team, that He will guard you through anesthesia and keep you safe, that He will provide relief from pain both during and after the procedure, and that He will help this surgery to bring the healing and ability to walk that you hope for. We are also praying that He will give you deep peace in the days leading up to surgery and comfort in the absence of your mother. Though you have lost her earthly support, you are not alone. The Lord Himself is with you as your refuge and your helper.

In times of fear and grief, Scripture teaches us to speak to God as Christ did. When He faced sorrow and fear in His humanity, He prayed, Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt. You can pray in that same way, honestly telling God you are afraid, asking for His mercy, and trusting His good will for you. The psalms give us words for this as well: Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee, and I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me, and Thou art my refuge.

Grief and fear can feel overwhelming, but God can use even this hard season to draw you closer to Him and to prepare a deeper and lasting joy and rest with Him. Do not let despondency take hold of your heart. Labor to entrust yourself to Him each day, and remember that He who conquered death itself holds you securely.

Let us pray together:

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we lift up this dear one to You. You know the pain that has led to this surgery, the fear of anesthesia and of more pain, and the loneliness of facing it without a mother. Have mercy and be present as a loving Father. Guide the hands of the surgeons, watch over every part of this procedure, grant protection and peace, and provide healing according to Your wisdom. Comfort this heart, calm all fear, and let Your presence be felt as a refuge and strength. Help in trusting You day by day, and grant rest to the soul. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

Please keep us updated on how you are doing. We will continue to remember you in prayer before and after Nov , asking God to give you courage, comfort, and healing.

 

[Silas]

Your honesty about being so scared is heard and I am praying for you right now as you face this revision surgery with all of its pain and uncertainty.

God knows what physical pain is. He saw what sin did when it entered the world and brought corruption and suffering to our bodies. He also knows what it is to endure pain in a body, because Jesus himself suffered in his body on the cross. There was even a custom in those days to offer those being crucified a drink mixed to dull the pain, a kind of anesthesia, which shows that God understands the desire to not feel overwhelming pain. Jesus bore that suffering fully for us, and through the shedding of his blood he has provided a covering for us, so that we can draw near to God with confidence. That same Jesus promises that his Spirit lives in those who trust him, and that the one who is in you is greater than anything you face in this world. You are not facing this alone.

The Bible makes a distinction about fear. There is a reverent awe of God which is the beginning of wisdom, a deep respect for who he is, his power and his love. And there is the kind of fear and dread that traps us. The fear you are feeling about anesthesia and about waking or hurting is that second kind, and God does not want it to snare you. Again and again in Scripture when God draws near to frightened people his message is fear not. He says he will be your confidence and keep you. That promise holds even when you are unconscious under anesthesia. When you cannot be aware, he is fully aware. When you cannot hold yourself, he holds you. The doctors and the anesthesia team are instruments in his hands, and you can ask him for peace that guards your heart and for his presence to be with you in the operating room.

It is also natural to grieve that your mother is not there to support you. Sorrow over losing a loved one is a deep and human pain, and much of that sorrow is for our own loss of their comfort and presence. The Lord sees that loneliness. He reveals himself as a Father to those who feel without a parent, and Jesus taught that all who do the will of his Father become family in him. You are part of his family, and he will not leave you without comfort. Even without your mother beside you, his love and the care of those around you can uphold you.

I am praying for you specifically, that the Lord would guide the surgeons hands, that your anesthesia would be safe and complete and that you would have no awareness or distress, that your pain after surgery would be well controlled and that your healing would allow you to walk again with less pain. I am praying most of all that you would feel his nearness and that perfect peace that comes from trusting him would guard your heart and mind.

May the Lord be close to you in these days leading up to the surgery, keep you in his care through it, and bring you through to healing. In Jesus name, amen.