Prayer for a sick loved one
For a parent on dialysis, a child in the hospital, a biopsy result due on Friday. These are words for when you are afraid for someone and there is nothing more you can do with your hands.
When there is nothing left to do
Most of the petitions on the wall are for someone who is sick. Not for the one praying, but for a father, a lola, a friend. The prayer below is for that: you are not asking to be spared, you are asking on behalf of someone you love.
You do not need the right words. If all you can manage is their name, that is a prayer.
In the hospital
If you are at the bedside, pray quietly and briefly. A hand on their arm and one line is enough. If they are awake and want it, pray it with them; if they are not, pray it for them. The nurses have seen it a thousand times and will let you be.
A prayer you can say
Lord Jesus, you went to the sick when they could not come to you. Go now to (name), in (the hospital, the ward, the room they are in).
Give the doctors and nurses steady hands and clear minds. Give (name) rest tonight, and less pain than yesterday. If it is your will, give healing; if the road is long, give strength for each day of it.
And give me something to do with my fear: let me be useful, and let me be calm in front of them. Amen.
Lord, (name) goes under the knife tomorrow. Be in the room. Guide the surgeon, keep the heart strong, and bring (name) back to us. We hand over what we cannot hold. Amen.
How to pray it
- Say their name aloud first, before any other word.
- Say the prayer, or only the line that fits tonight.
- If you are praying for nine days, the novena to St. Jude is the one Filipinos most often pray for the sick.
- When there is news, good or hard, come back and pray again; and tell the people who prayed with you.
Other prayers
Last revised September 29, 2026