Prayer Requests

 
by Sarah and Joe

As we move into our final 48 hours with Luke, we continue to be humbled by you, our amazing community of friends and family who are rallying around us when we need it most.  We have had many, many people ask us how they can best be praying for us during these last couple of days and especially on Monday, so we decided to make a list of every possible thing we could think of that we would like to have covered in prayer and are praying for ourselves.  Again, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of the love you are showing us and for the ways you are lifting us up and helping us through this season.


Specific Prayers for Luke

• That he would not suffer
• That he would feel only peace in his body and spirit
• That he would be able to have a few moments with us upon being born
• That he will know how loved he is
• That his passing would be peaceful and would be in the arms of his parents
• That he would be able to feel our touch, hear our voices and know we love him and will miss him

Specific Prayers for Monday, January 4, 2010

• That all procedures would go as planned with no complications
• That the doctors and nurses would be alert and thinking clearly when caring for Luke and Sarah
• That all medications administered to Sarah would be accurately measured and appropriate to need
• That all staff caring for Joe, Sarah and Luke would be aware of situation and respond accordingly
• That all preparations made for Luke's delivery would proceed as desired (music, atmosphere etc)
• That all keepsakes desired are able to be obtained without incident (hand prints/photos/hair/molds etc)
• That Dr. Nichols feels she has everything she needs and all of the support required for an easy delivery of Luke
• That all incisions are able to be closed, stitched and repaired properly
• That our families are able to meet and connect with Luke
• That Harold (our personal minister of peace for the day) is able to sense our needs and guide us spiritually through the day
• Most of all, that God would be present with us and that we would be able to feel his peace and presence in those various hospital rooms

Specific Prayers for Joe

• That he would be able to soak in every moment of the experience
• That he would feel an instant bond and connection with Luke
• That his memory would be acute and that he would be able to remember every moment shared with Luke
• That he would be able to protect his family during the stressful situation and create tender moments for himself, Sarah and Luke together
• That he will know how best to comfort Sarah during Luke's delivery
• That he would know how to best help Sarah
• That Luke would recognize and know his father's touch, voice and scent
• That he would feel affirmed as the excellent father he has been for Luke
• That he would be able to sleep and feel restored with energy
• That he would be able to sense Sarah's unspoken needs
• That he would exhibit emotional strength and yet feel able to express his emotions as he truly experiences them

Specific Prayers for Sarah

• That she would feel peace and not panic from the beginning to the end of her surgery
• That her body would respond appropriately to all medications
• That she would be able to relax in the capable care of the doctors and nurses, Joe and family around her
• That she would be able to be emotionally present during Luke's birth
• That everything will go as planned with the epidural, incision and re-stitching
• That Sarah will feel free to ask for any necessary medications she may require to help her remain calm
• That Sarah will feel comforted by Joe and his presence during delivery
• That Sarah will be able to bond and connect with Luke when he is born
• For emotional peace during precious moments with Luke and Joe
• For joy at getting to finally meet Luke
• For presence of mind and acute memory to remember our moments with Luke
• For sleep and rest
• For physical healing of incision
• For the ability to express herself in the moment as she is feeling her emotions
• For adjustment period postpartum without a baby to help (emotionally, physically)
• For strength to continue forward towards healing

Specific Prayers for Sarah and Joe together

• That this experience would knit us closer together and to God
• That we will be able to look back on this experience with warmth and gratitude and share it together
• That our memories of our time with Luke would remain sharp
• That we would feel the Lord's closeness and peace during this time and going forward as we heal
• That we would experience both physical and emotional healing in the weeks ahead
• That we would know how and when to say goodbye to Luke in the hospital
• That we would have courage to grieve and mourn as we need to both as individuals and together
• That our faith would only be deepened by this experience
• That God would be able to use our experience and Luke's life for good
• That we would feel the comfort of the Holy Spirit
• That we will be able to receive the embrace and TLC from those around us who wish to help us
• That we would be able to ask for any help we may need in the weeks and months ahead
• That we will be blessed with siblings for Luke in God's timing

We know that this is an exhaustive list of prayer requests, but we wanted to be as specific as possible for those who may feel compelled to pray for one specific area over another.  Please know that we cherish your willingness to pray over our family and we are beyond thankful for your presence in our lives.

As we spend and enjoy these final few hours we have with Luke, our blog will be quiet for the next couple days.  We will be posting details of his arrival and service next week as well as few other posts that I'm writing in advance about Luke that we want to share after he is born.

It seems strange to think that the next time we post here our sweet angel baby will be dancing and playing in heaven.  We thank you for loving him and for loving us through to this point in this difficult season and beyond into the weeks and months ahead.  We continue to be humbled by the richness of our blessings and thank you with all of our hearts.  Much love to you. - Sarah and Joe