At the entrance to the chapel at the hospital where I work, we offer resources for visitors who would like to give voice to the prayers on their hearts.  There are individual slips of paper available for them to write their prayers on and then drop them into a sealed container.  These are shared only among the Spiritual Care team, for each member to honor as they feel led.  It is a blessing and a privilege be invited to support these intimate expressions of longing.

We also provide an open notebook, where visitors can write out their prayers (first names only), knowing they may be seen by any other visitor, thus inviting the full hospital community to join them in prayer.  Every day we have a brief gathering, open to all, led by one of our chaplains, which begins by reading the prayers written since our prior gathering and lifting them up in silence.  We are often joined by family and friends of patients, who bring their own prayers, voiced and silent.

These prayers are regularly heart-rending with their poignancy, reflecting the many ways a trip to the hospital can lead people to seek help beyond what they themselves can summon.  Here are just a few “open” prayers that have touched my heart in the past year.

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Please give my dad the strength he needs to fight for his health.  He is too strong for his own good.  He needs you, Lord.  We can’t lose him.  Thank you.

Please, Lord, make sure my brother is in as little pain as possible through his journey home to you.  Help my sister-in-law and walk with her through this terrible time in her life—and those babies, too. 
May you rest in sweet peace—I love you, brother.  I’ll see you again one day.

That the transplanted kidney begins to work and no more dialysis, with continued healing.  Amen and thank you!  Mom

Please give Fred’s heart the strength to carry on and give life to another person.  I pray that Janet has a beautiful life after he is gone.  Sacred heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in thee.

Big sister, I miss you and I’m sorry we became estranged.  May you be at peace with Mom and Dad + with God’s love.

May we all receive strength, guidance, comfort, and relief as we navigate to satisfy Amelia’s last wishes.  Please comfort her transition to heaven.

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A central tenet of spiritual care is that suffering is inescapable, but loving accompaniment can make it more bearable.  One way we provide that care is by offering our presence to someone who is suffering—helping them know they don’t have to go through it alone.  Often, though, the presence of a well-meaning stranger is not what is wanted, or a person’s need for consolation goes beyond what human accompaniment can offer.  I am grateful that we offer loved ones a place to safely share the burdens on their hearts without needing to speak them to another person.

While many prayers we receive in the chapel are couched in religious language, many are not.  As I explored in the post A Prayer by Any Other Name, one need not believe in any notion of God at all to seek prayer; most of us know the feeling of crying “Help!” into an empty room, or someday will.  When we give voice to our longings, even in this anonymous way, we may feel a little less alone, knowing they will be read and honored by other caring people—and by our divine creator and healer.  As these prayers reflect, prayer isn’t about transforming God’s heart—it’s about transforming our own.