Never do this when you visit the hospital Tip #1
Visiting the hospital can be intimidating. How can you be sure to help? Follow my "Hospital Visit Tips."
1. Never force prayer
Should you pray for people in the hospital? Of course.
If you are a person who prays, you should pray for people in the hospital.
However, should you pray out loud and in person?
It depends.
Here’s how you can decide. Simply ask if they would like a prayer.
In my experience, you can expect one of three responses.
1. They say, "Yes," and shift in their bed. That means they want you to pray out loud and in person, and you should do it now.
2. They say, “I’d be happy to be on the prayer list,” or “Keep me in your prayers.” That means they don’t mind the idea of prayer, but they don’t want to do it now.
Maybe they aren’t feeling great, are tired, or want to call the nurse to help them to the bathroom. In that case, it’s time to leave, and you can pray as you walk out of the hospital.
3. They ignore your question about prayer altogether.
This might indicate that they are struggling with what to think about God while they are sick or injured.
For this group, forcing prayer could be a big mistake.
Think of it this way.
Kristen and I have four children. When they were young, they would often hurt or offend one another, as siblings do. Their mom and I would force them to apologize to one another. However, you can imagine how those forced apologies usually went. They were quick, insincere, and usually still full of anger and frustration.
Did the forced apology reconcile the relationship? No.
And forced prayer doesn’t improve the patient’s relationship with God, either.
It can do damage.
That’s why you should never force prayer when visiting a patient in the hospital.
