Sitting with someone who is ill
For the few minutes before you go in. Choose where you are going, and you'll find a few psalms to read aloud, short prayers, and a word for you.
In the hospital
A stay, a surgery, a long night on a ward
Near the end of life
Hospice, palliative care, the last days
After a hard diagnosis
News that changes everything
A child who is ill
For a child, and for the parents
Before you go in
You don't need the right words
Being there is already a kindness. The psalms here are words to borrow, so you don't have to find your own.
It's okay to be silent
Hold a hand, sit, and let the quiet be. Jesus asked His friends simply to stay and keep watch with Him.
Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”
Matthew 26:38BSB Ask first
Gently ask if they would like you to read a psalm or pray. If the answer is no, that's fine: you can pray quietly for them where you sit.