A Prayer for Anxiety Before Surgery

Father, the day is almost here and my hands will not stop shaking. Soon I will lie on a table and surrender my body to other people while I sleep, unable to do a thing to help myself. The not knowing is the hardest part, and my mind keeps drifting to all that could go wrong.

I confess I am frightened in a way I cannot reason away. I want to be brave, but underneath the calm face I am bracing for the worst.

So I bring this fear to You before they wheel me in. You will be in that room when I am not awake to pray. You will not step out for a moment. Nothing about me is hidden from You or out of Your reach.

Steady the hands of every surgeon and nurse. Guide their training and their care. Quiet my racing mind so I can rest as the anesthesia takes me, trusting that I am held even when I am unaware.

You said You would never leave me nor forsake me, and that nothing can separate me from Your love, not even this. Let that promise go under with me and be there when I wake.

I place my body, this whole procedure, and my life into Your hands. Whatever comes, I am Yours. Carry me through the dark of the sleep and wake me into Your mercy on the other side. Amen.