There is nothing more painful for a mother than experiencing her child’s sickness. The helplessness we feel is hollow and exhausting, and when that sickness becomes more than we can handle at home and our children must be admitted to a specialized facility or hospital, the fact that we couldn’t keep our children healthy on our own shatters our confidence in our ability to maintain a healthy home and keep our children safe.
When our children are sick, it almost seems that the world stops moving. It is important that through all of the tears and sleepless nights, we take a moment to sit in silence and gather our thoughts. Prayer for sick children not only engages our faith life in a season where prayer seems like a last resort, but it can give us a moment to focus on our breath and allow our minds to focus on peace and healing.
Health Benefits Of Praying
While this article will acknowledge the power of prayer, it will not be written in a way that reflects any type of theology that encourages believers to bow their heads and send up their wish lists. I do believe that prayer connects me to God in a very real way and that the effect that prayer has had on my own life is almost like that of a meditation that leads me to live a life of love.
The health benefits of prayer are incredible. Ranging from pain relief, reduced anxiety and depression, and even showing evidence of helping patients slow the progression of memory loss or Alzheimer’s, prayer is an excellent way to increase your health and well being, and for those who are faithful, it only gets better when you acknowledge that God is in the mix.
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Prayer For Sick Children: Give Yourself Grace
When our son was 20 months old, he had back-to-back hospitalizations that started a chain reaction of events in our home and family lives. When our child became sick enough to be hospitalized, everything changed. The way we approached the world became more proactive. We immediately stood taller and did our best to prepare for anything that comes our way, because the world has already shown us that anything can happen.
Prayer for sick children fuels the choices that we make with our budget, diet, and schedules. If we didn’t let love lead our hearts and daily decisions, we would be overcome with the traumatic stress and grief that is all too easily born of events such as this. It is important to remember that you have been through something that has rocked your world.
You are allowed you be exhausted and at the end of your rope. You are allowed to ask someone to help clean your house or make your family dinner. You are allowed to scream, cry, and stand up to people who make you feel like the safety of your child is being compromised. Give yourself grace and realize that these reactions are grounded in a fear that only exists because of your great love for your child.
Here is a prayer for those moments when we feel that we may crumble:
God, I know you are walking with me in this moment. Help my feet to stand firm as we begin this long journey of healing. Guide my words with loving action. Help me to consider my words before I speak, and give me the courage to forgive and be forgiven when I fall short. Amen.
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Prayer For Sick Children: One Day At A Time
Time has a different meaning in the hospital and the medical world in general. Many staff are on rotations that can mean you will only see one doctor per day, or that you will only see a doctor one time, depending on your condition.
When the wellness of our children is compromised, the last thing we want to do, or feel capable of doing, is waiting patiently. In moments like this, a prayer for sick children can truly be a mantra that will keep you sane, and that can be repeated over and over again until you are presented with another option.
Thank you God. My child is where they need to be.
If your child is old enough to participate in prayer, or they understand what is happening in their lives and they would like to participate in prayer for sick children, here is an excellent way to involve them in their faith journey while they continue on their path to healing.
Dear God, I know that I am loved and that I don’t need to be afraid. I know that you are bigger than my sickness and pain, but sometimes I still get scared. Be with me when I am afraid or hurting, and watch over all the sick children and their parents when they are scared, too. Amen.
When we first heard the words “We have to admit him” I finally understood what people were talking about when they said they felt as though they’d been hit by a ton of bricks upon receiving shocking news. My ears were ringing and I went numb. That sensation, I have come to discover, was my brain’s way of convincing me to keep moving forward and create a game plan.
That feeling, although unpleasant and exhaustive, allowed me to become strong enough to endure the things a mother must endure when her toddler is hospitalized; things that still make my heart pound and my mouth go dry when I think about them, but things that we lived through. We made it.
Prayer for sick children affords parents some time to find quiet for themselves and experience peace. The numb feeling is incredible and strong and makes you feel like you can and will do anything you have to do, but it is also dangerous. The numb feeling is what makes you forget to shower, eat, or call your boss and let them know you are going to be out for a few days. That numb feeling helps you stand up for your child while you take a backseat, physically and mentally, but it slowly grates away at the warmth of your spirit.
Prayer for sick children allows your peace to overcome your “survival mode” and enter back into yourself, so that you can be fully present for your sick child while simultaneously taking care of your child’s hero: you.
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