I’m only half kidding.
Praying is good. We all need it. We all need to do it. And it’s good to offer it to others. But be careful. It can be an easy cliché. A throw away. A meaningless phrase. A form of Christianese with about as much sincerity as “How ya doin’?” or “Have a nice day.”
Because after all, we’re very busy.
If you do say “I’ll pray for you”, take the time to offer specific prayers. Details like “I’ll pray the doctors take good care of you”, or, “I’ll pray for God’s peace for your family”, or “I’ll pray your kids won’t be scared” can go a long way in making a profound impact on the recipient.
Or simply asking, “How can I pray for you about that?” is a much more thoughtful gesture.
Better still, if it’s appropriate, (and it often is) offer a quick prayer there right on the spot. It doesn’t have to be lengthy or in the King James Version, just a heartfelt request of the Lord to be present for the person in need.
God calls us to love Him and each other. But our nature is to put ourselves first. It’s more convenient to offer a generic prayer promise than to give a brief extra moment of time and energy to better love others as He loves us.
Getting out of ourselves and into others takes effort. But as we offer ourselves to Him, He is faithful to meet us where we are, and in turn meet others through us!