Not for me, absolutely not!  But only if you mean it and really pray.  I've done this a lot, and I remind Jesus as I'm praying for that person that I told that person I'd pray, so for him not to intervene in some way, then that would make me a bad witness.  Then I ask Jesus that these people would remember what I said and wonder if perhaps my prayer helped.  Make them wonder which god it is that I serve

It works!  I've seen these people after, asked how the illness or situation was going, and they tell me things were going better. 

I don't tell people that I pray for them unless they tell me to because it doesn't feel like it's needed at all. Personally, I don't think it makes a difference unless it brings their spirit up, but still I don't tell people. It's just a thing you do without saying it, like a surprise, I guess. You're doing it out of the kindness of your heart and for that person. Just let it be a surprise to them. And if something good does happen when you prayed for them, you'll know that it was because you prayed for them and it gives you that good feeling inside, that's all. (:

as a non-christian, i'm not offended in the least. i think it's a kind gesture no matter what beliefs people hold. i myself am a pagan, my mother wiccan, and my fiance is primarilly buddhist. and the three of us often pray to our own specific "higher powers" for people we care about as well. i don't see any difference in to whom you pray to for others. it's the fact that you're praying at all that matters, and that's the important thing, because it's a sign of love, affection, and care.

It all depends on the context. I don't like theists saying they'll pray for me once they find out I'm an atheist but if I'm going through a hard time and it makes them feel better praying for me...why not?
I'm sure people have prayed for me before and I didn't know it. I can't control someone's thoughts.
I don't really like it when people say they'll pray for me after finding out I'm an theist and/or a lesbian but...whatever.
I guess I can always hope they'll die soon and then we're even.

yeP, i like praying for people and i do feel very awkward telling them that i'll pray for them

well, whether they say yes or no, i still pray for them anyways

Our true convictions reveal themselves in our words and actions. 

I believe that Jesus is who He said He was ~
The Son of God, existent with the Father and Holy Spirit at the foundation of the earth, eternally foredestined by the infinitude of His love to embody the Almighty's unitary attributes of justice, mercy, grace, wisdom, and on and on in descriptions of omnipotent perfection, the culmination of which He demonstrated in his once and for all act of sacrificial love ~ HIS love so mighty and pure that HE from the beginning of time was willing to die for HIS beloved creation.
He purposed to come and die for you and me to show us WHO HE IS, that we might finally have a place to rest our broken hopes: in HIS greatness, in HIS mercy, in HIS awesome, cherishing, tenderness, in HIS willingness to absorb all of my brokenness into HIS perfection.

Knowing this, my prayers are my heart and soul's communication with my Creator, as inseparable from me as my life itself - meaning, present in this body as long as I am present, and as soon as I am absent from this body, I will be present with Him.  My communion with Him is part of me, His gift to me; and HIS redeeming work in me becomes more and more evident as I believe in His transforming work.  I am not a Christian because I have put that title on my desktop plaque and continued on in life’s journey unaffected.  I am a Christian because He came to me in my utterly confounded state of weakness and defeat, He made me aware of WHO HE IS, and HE awakened a new life in me.

I cannot offer up my prayers to others and act like I am gracing them with MY kind wishes.  Who am I?  My best is but filthy rags.  Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. 

This is who I am because HE gave HIS life to me – He bestowed His life to live inside of me today, to defeat sin in me that I may experience every day in Him, His power, His victory.  I do not pray merely because it will make other people feel good, and I do not pray believing that I may have some influence over God with my sincerity or strength or will.  I pray in communion with, in response to, the movement of His Holy Spirit and power inside me.  I pray for the lost because HE is moved to compassion for those hurt, weary, meek and poor.  I pray because this is who I am in Him, and it is HIS power to affect change, healing, mercy, or compassion that I believe in. 

My outward action is a reflection of the inward man (woman, in my case) ~ I live because Christ lives in me ~ I pray because He moves me to ~ and if that does make others feel awkward, it is not my concern ~ though I certainly do understand the validity of their response, my focus is not on them, but on the Lord, on His power, on His magnitude.  Before I understood, I too, experienced awkwardness at others’ suggestions of prayer, because I didn’t understand the true power to salvation in Christ Jesus, but had that kept others from praying, I would not have seen for myself.  I expect that as I am a Christian, I will act in accordance with my convictions and pray to my Savior for the help of others. 

Others desire, and in fact have a right to expect, that someone claiming to be a Christian will in all earnestness, be praying to the One True God, the definitive ultimate power of the Universe.  They are watching to see what will happen.  The awkwardness is a result of one belief-system coming in full contact with another’s, and the explosion of real questions that ensues from that ideological confrontation.  “So, what does that mean?”  “Who are you praying to?”  “What will/could that possibly do?”  “Who is God, anyways?’ ...and on down the line of theological query. And perhaps that awkwardness may be the unaccustomed’s response of “okay, you got my attention, so what happens next?”  Whatever the case, these interactions are the true litmus test of your own convictions – do you really believe what you say, or is it just another catch phrase?  Is there power behind your prayer?  Where do your prayers go, and will it mean anything to the person you’re talking to?  Will it change their life?  If so, how?

We are tired of weak, meager, disappointing remarks of “I’m praying for you” that are effectually powerless, helpless gestures that really mean “I’d help you if I knew how, but I don’t have the answers for that in my own life, so I’m leaving you and your problem up to God because perhaps He can help you…”  Offering a prayer as a means of shirking the true, brotherly work of coming alongside a neighbor and devoting your time and your LIFE to help each other walk through issues in truth, righteousness, and love – is a cheap disguise for a cold, too-busy-to-bother-with-your-heart’s-perplexity, write-off attitude that by all rights disheartens, disbenefits, and imparts rightful awkwardness to the hearer.  If this is the case, by all means do not say the words.  Better to be silent than to speak in insincerity.  But best of all is to allow the power of Christ to consume you, become immersed in His saving strength, seek Him until His face is all you see, and then His life inside of you will shine grace upon that one you are praying for, awkward or not.

And ultimately, whether we tell someone that we’re praying for them or not, does not affect His power in any of our lives.  Allow the true power of the Lord to come in and administer to the other’s awkwardness.  He is real, as you place your full assurance in Him, you don’t have to worry about others’ responses ~ their hearts are His to overwhelm with Love – and He WILL – when they choose to open the door to let Him in.  J

I always pray for my ALL my friends. yes Non-Christian too. and I tell em straight up that I pray for them, hopefully to encourage them through tough times.

also. I don't pray for them to become Christian or whatever. It's easy way out to just tell someone to go convert (also lame). One should leave a Christian life and lead with example to help them convert. that's what I believe. and to be honest with you GOD LOVES EVERYONE.

and no, I don't feel awkward when I tell em that I pray for them. Why should I feel awkward?!!!

In some cases its nice.
Like if I know the person and I know they love.
But when its from random people, sometimes it makes me feel awkward and offended.
I was raised Roman Catholic so I understand the importance of God to people but if/since prayer has no importance to me, (and yes my life is just fine without it), then its like the person is almost trying to push their God on me.
However, most of the time I take it as a sign of my importance in their life.

If a Christiian offers to pray for me, knowing full well that I'm an atheist (though I'm currently developing my own belief system), I find it distasteful and arrogant. Yes, I do have things on my site that people could find distasteful (if not offensive) too. But, it is MY site. But, to address me personally, and offer to pray for me when you know I'm an unbeliever smacks of arrogance.

I tell them I'll be praying for them. If they get offended I usually say, "Whether you believe in in it's power or not, I wanted you to know that I'm thinking about you and care enough to pray for you." People are getting too touchy these days. We all need to stop being so politically correct. We have Freedom of Speech, so we should use it.

@BeUnique7846@xanga - It seems as if you are saying to to glorify yourself and not God in these cases.  You are also passing judgement about people being too touchy.  You can only control yourself, not others.  I hope that you will be more sensitive so as to not turn people off.

@AirForceVirgin@xanga - I agree.  I noticed this past December that people would say "Merry Christmas" and then stare at me as if I was going to say "Happy Holidays" back they were going to slap me.  Things have gotten way out of hand if a simple greeting becomes a highly charged religious test.  It is almost as if people can't enjoy having faith any more.