Instructions:
Below you will find a liturgy I wrote for you.
This is meant for you to not merely read, but to savor slowly.
Listen to the cries of your heart, listen for the response of God, the One who SEES YOU.
Allow the tensions to be felt between the two.
Sit with this and pray through this until you can rest with the conclusion of the liturgy.
Morning Prayer for After Receiving a Diagnosis
Good morning, Lord. My foggy brain begins to stir.
I feel like a truck hit me, and I feel like it can’t possibly be morning.
My body aches, wait, no, my heart aches.
What are these awful memories that are dancing around in my brain between the cobwebs?
Something about doctors, hospitals, tests…
I AM ALWAYS NEAR. (Isaiah 41:10)
My body aches.
I don’t understand.
Memories from the day before come flooding over me like a tsunami.
I am horrified. That was a dream, right? No! That HAD to be a terrible dream. It cannot be true.
I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU. (Joshua 1:5)
My heart seizes up inside my chest!
It was REAL.
I (he or she) have (has) a terminal diagnosis.
My brain cannot compute.
How could this be?
Panic seeps in around the edges as I lay here on my pillow.
My pulse is pounding and it resonates in my head with a repetitive “no, no, no.”
BE STILL. KNOW THAT I AM GOD. (Psalm 46:10)
My brain kicks in and it runs faster than I can even keep up.
Who do I need to talk to?
What do I need to do?
How can this be my reality?
What do I do first?
I WILL INFUSE YOU WITH MY STRENGTH AND HELP YOU IN EVERY SITUATION. (Isaiah 41:10)
I take a deep breath and remember truth.
You are the author of my days.
You have created me.
You know everything before it happens to me, even this does not surprise you.
You have been holding me long before I knew yesterday was going to happen.
You are here today too.
Nothing I do will surprise you, nothing that takes place today will shock you.
I AM YOUR RESTING PLACE (Psalm 23:2)
Although I am in shock, I can rest in the One who is bound to me, heart and soul.
You are never alarmed.
I breathe in Your rhythm, O God.
You will guide me, Holy Spirit, step by step through this first hour of this first day.
You will never quit. I can bank on your Presence in this time of terrible uncertainty. I choose to trust You.
NOW MAY GOD, THE FOUNTAIN OF HOPE,
FILL YOU TO OVERFLOWING WTIH UNCONTAINABLE JOY AND PERFECT PEACE AS YOU TRUST IN HIM.
AND MAY THE HOLY SPIRIT CONTINUALLY SURROUND YOUR LIFE WITH HIS SUPER-ABUNDANCE
UNTIL YOU RADIATE WITH HOPE!
( Romans 15:13 TPT)
You are so loved.
Walk the Red exists to inspire, support, and champion the terminally ill and their families to live with intention, leave a meaningful legacy, and transition with joyful expectation into the Savior’s arms.
© 2025 Amy Shaw
