Inside: It’s sometimes hard to know what to say when we’re praying for friends or relatives who are dealing with medical issues. These suggestions might help. ~
After my bike accident last year, my right eye stopped watering. It wasn’t completely dry, so I could still wear my contacts. But when I would normally cry, no tears flowed down that side of my face.
Thinking there might be an underlying medical issue related to the head injuries I had suffered, I decided to visit an ophthalmologist rather than my regular optometrist.
The numerous physicians I saw during that season of recovery demonstrated varying levels of bedside manner, but this guy was the absolute worst. He took a quick look at my eye, said he saw tears and informed me that nothing was wrong.
Even as I tried to explain more, he was heading for the door with his phone in his hand.
I later learned that humans have three kinds of tears—emotional tears, which my right eye stopped producing for many months after the accident; reflex tears that wash away irritants; and basal tears, which keep our eyes lubricated. (Fortunately for me, the latter were not affected by my injuries.)
Learning from Experience
In terms of my overall recovery, my lack of tears was a minor issue. But that unpleasant encounter with the ophthalmologist got me thinking about what makes good medical care—and what detracts from it.
Over the last several months, I’ve had friends waiting to see specialists, loved ones navigating complex health issues, and friends with relatives going through medical crises. God knows what they need, and we can trust that He will provide it. That said, my recent experiences with doctors—what was helpful or frustrating, what I appreciated, what I wished would have happened—are guiding my thoughts as I pray for these people.
Asking God to “be with so-and-so during this time” is a good start, but sometimes, I like to be more specific. Every situation is different, of course. Praying for someone with an angry sore throat isn’t the same as praying for a cancer patient or a person with an undiagnosed problem.
As I think about friends and loved ones dealing with medical issues, though, I pray that their doctors will exhibit certain traits or qualities during upcoming appointments. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering how to pray for someone facing a health issue, I hope the following list helps you too.
5 Helpful Traits
• Competence. We’d like to think this is a given for all medical professionals, but in reality, some physicians are more competent than others. This includes a willingness to admit when a different doctor would be helpful.
• Compassion. If we had to choose between a competent doctor and a compassionate one, most of us would probably choose the former. That said, a kind bedside manner can make a huge difference to a patient and his or her family, particularly during tense or uncertain situations.
• Curiosity. When my loved ones are dealing with a complicated medical problems, I want their doctors to be curious and willing to think outside the box about what might be wrong.
• Creativity. Once a problem is diagnosed, I pray for creativity to determine a solution, whether it’s a tried-and-true treatment or something more innovative.
• Clarity. This is helpful when it comes to understanding the problem and how to correct it, as well as in explaining the diagnosis and treatment to the patient and his or her family.
Your Turn
How do you pray about medical appointments—for your loved ones or for yourself? What would you add to my list? Please share in the comments.
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♥ Lois
As I think about friends and loved ones dealing with medical issues, I pray that their doctors will exhibit five specific traits during upcoming appointments. Share on X When my loved ones are dealing with a complicated medical problems, I want their doctors to be curious and willing to think outside the box about what might be wrong. Share on XP.S. I’m linking up this week with InstaEncouragements and Let’s Have Coffee.
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22 comments
Although I do pray that the doctors will be led to a solution, I hadn’t considered praying that they also be curious. Great prayer points, Lois! Thank you.
Thank YOU, Lynn. I’m glad this gave you some thought fodder!
Lois, these specifics are so helpful. I’ll be saving and re-reading and sharing this.
Such good, practical counsel, friend.
Thanks so much, Linda. So nice to see you here again after all your world travels. 🙂
So helpful to me as I pray for several friends’ appointments this week! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Bethany! I know you have a unique perspective on all this, and your friends are blessed to have your prayers. ❤️
This is such a helpful way to pray. I especially love adding curiosity and clarity to the list… both can make such a difference when something is complicated or uncertain. Your experience turned into something really useful for others. 💛
Thanks so much for your kind words, Aritha. It was good to hear from you this week. ❤️
I’m so sorry you had that experience, Lois. That must have been so difficult. Has that emotional tear situation healed at all yet? Hope so! I’m blessed to have both a regular doctor and a pulmonologist that are knowledgeable, caring, and compassionate. Thank you for encouraging us to pray not only for a person’s healing but also that they’ll be attended by doctors with the important traits you give. Love and hugs to you!
Trudy, I’m glad the doctors you see regularly are knowledgeable and compassionate. That makes such a difference, doesn’t it? As for my emotional tear situation, it’s not 100 percent back to normal, but my right eye does tear up occasionally and I have even cried out of that eye a time or two. I’m always so thankful when that happens! Love and hugs to you!
Great prayer points Lois.
I think the medical & health workers who really stand out to me are those who give kindness when we feel the so vulnerable.
So prayer for a kind medical team is always a good prayer point.
Blessings, Jennifer
I agree, Jennifer. Kindness is very good medicine!
Lois, it is amazing how those traits make all the difference. Several weeks ago, I had an accident where my left hand met up with our electric hedge trimmer. There will never be words to express my gratitude when the ER doctor sat on the edge of my bed with me to express herself to me. It moved me deeply. As I continue to heal and go through OT, I think of her often and the difference she made. Wonderful post. May we all pray for our dr appointments. Blessings!
Oh my goodness, Joanne! I’m so sorry about your accident–it sounds terrible! I am glad, though, that your ER doctor was kind and compassionate during what must have been a very stressful time. I hope your healing and therapy is going well. ❤️
I wonder sometimes if it’s my imagination that medical professionals don’t seem to be really curious about their patients. I’m sure they are suffering from overwork and overwhelm just like everyone else. Still, it’s a lot easier to describe symptoms and talk about health issues when you are confident that the listener is really listening.
I don’t think it’s just your imagination, Michele. I’m thankful for the medical professionals who are very curious, but others seem to jump to the easiest possibility without considering all the factors. That said, dealing with patients who have already used Google to diagnose themselves probably isn’t helping with this. (groan)
These are great guidelines! For surgeries, I pray that the Lord will hand-pick the surgeon, nurses, attendants, etc.; that they will be kind to my friend or relative; that the Lord guides the surgeon’s hand; that there are no glitches in the procedure, and that healing will be quick and thorough.
Those are wonderful requests for surgeries, Vicki. Thank so much for sharing them.
Lovely alliteration, Lois! I appreciate the specificity of those five “C” words! I also agree with Barbara that it is essential for the doctor to listen well and be fully attentive and free from distraction. It seems that would be required for all of the attributes that you listed, so maybe a “C” word for that would be “Concentration.”
Lydia, I love how you’ve boiled Barbara’s points down to another “C” word. Concentration is a great addition to the list!
I would not have thought of praying these specific ways, but they are all good. We’ve had problems in some of those areas–poor bedside manner, lack of explanations of what’s going on or what to expect, assuming the problem is the least serious or most obvious without looking further. Something I desire, and should pray for, during medical appointments is, 1) their full attention without distractions from a full waiting room or whatever is going on in their personal lives, etc. And, 2) that they would really listen. Sometimes they fall into a routine–X problem means Y solution. But if they are not really listening, they may miss that the problem is more than X.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this, Barbara. Your two desires–the doctor’s full attention and careful listening–are so important for a good diagnosis and compassionate care.