It’s rare for someone in a bar to ask me to pray, so this one may be more applicable to hospitals, churches, and more traditional ministry settings. Though I take prayer requests and healing prayer seriously, my primary purpose in prayer is to invite others into communion with God, leading to a soothing of their spirits. Sure, if someone asks me to pray for healing, I’ll speak those words, but my chief goal is to invite the other person into conversation with God, not twist God’s arm into a response.

Far too often, I’ve seen people think of prayer like a genie— a single stop for granting wishes.  I’ve even heard references to praying “the right way” in order to force God to respond. These notions detract from prayer’s nature as an expression of relationship with God.
Prayer can be conversational.
It may be a lament or outcry.
It can be a way of thinking and interacting with the world.
But prayer is never simply a wishlist.
When I pray aloud with people, I will always mention the requests they bring up, but my primary purpose is to help them attain these other levels of prayer so they can still feel a sense of connection to God long after the chaplain leaves the room.

This post is part of an ongoing series about the principles underlying bar chaplaincy. For the first in this series (“Slow Down”), click here.