Sacred Moments in a Hospital
Well, the time had come for Doctor Seth to perform this experimental surgery, which would allow Melissa, though she was amputated, to receive this prosthetic arm, which would work like a normal arm—not like a hook which could only move by the shoulder, but which her nerves would talk to in a way that she could control this arm and hand. Like a normal one. Incredible stuff!
A small crowd gathered in the pre-op area to wish Doctor Seth luck. Two of his pastors from his church actually came out, and one of them said a prayer around Melissa's bed just before she went in for the surgery.
Praying Before Surgery
And I thought I'd read this prayer to you because it was meaningful. The pastor said, “Lord, we thank You for the doctors and the medical science available to us on this day, and we thank You for Melissa and her courage. You’re indeed the Great Physician. And we ask Your blessings and grace upon this patient during her surgery. Bless the hands of Doctor Seth and guide them toward excellent work. Bring Melissa safely through this operation. Give her strength in the days to come so that she might serve You in her work and life. We pray all these things in Your name. Amen.”
It's a lovely prayer, and perhaps it's one that you can pray—for people in your life who are going into hospital. Or maybe you're in hospital and you prayed over yourself and your doctors. But I thought it was a lovely way to pray for an operation.
A few pages later, as the surgery begins, Doctor Seth wrote this: “Facing Melissa’s bed, I closed my eyes briefly and asked God to bless my hand. A simple but strong request for His guidance. And I made the first incision.”
Supporting Medical Workers
Are you praying for doctors, for nurses, for paramedics? Are you praying for people doing God’s work in this way?
In fact, it reminds me of what Doctor Seth said right at the beginning of the book. He was talking about families that he’d spoken to as they sit around and wait in hospitals. And he said: “Sometimes I think it takes the long vigil of waiting at a hospital to make families slow down for an hour or two or simply talk to each other.”
Sacred Moments in Crisis
Here’s the point: when somebody you know has a medical emergency, this is actually an opportunity for you to pray—and perhaps an opportunity for you as a family to gather and come together.
I can think of moments that our family have been in hospitals—terrible moments in one sense, and yet in another sense, moments where we were closer than we’d ever been. Perhaps in some way, those moments were a blessing.
Pray over those people you know who are going into hospital. Pray for them. Pray for their doctors and nurses. And remember that even an occasion like somebody going into hospital can be a sacred moment—if we choose to fix our eyes on God and talk to Him in those moments.
