The Gossip Chain

Maybe you’ve experienced this. A person asks for “prayer requests,” and what follows is something much like, “Have you heard about Suzy???”—except dressed up in prayer request language. “Please pray for Suzy. She’s pregnant out of wedlock, you know, and she and her family will need a lot of prayer.”

Then add what many churches do: they have a prayer chain. Now Suzy’s “prayer request” gets elevated to a host of mostly women on the prayer chain who will now have this juicy piece of gossip—sorry, prayer request—to “pray about” while they share it with others.

Someone recently asked me, “Is there any biblical merit to asking for prayer requests?” In light of this, I thought it might be worth examining the question.

Why do we do it? Why do we “share prayer requests”? It turns out, it’s biblical. It’s called “intercessory prayer”, and we are commanded to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Scripture is full of praying for others. Paul writes, “I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men” (1 Tim. 2:1). Samuel told the people, “Far be it from me that I should sin against YHWH by ceasing to pray for you” (1 Sam. 12:23). Jesus interceded for His disciples (John 17:1–26). And the examples continue throughout the Bible.

Beyond that, we are told to “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2). Paul often asked for prayers for himself or for others (e.g., Eph. 6:19–20; Col. 4:3–4; Rom. 15:30–31; Eph. 6:18).

Additionally, James assures us that “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much,” and he instructs believers to go to the elders and ask for prayer (James 5:13–18).

So what about these abuses? Anyone with any experience in churches has seen prayer chains used as gossip chains. Doesn’t that negate this whole “ask for prayer requests” idea? Isn’t that enabling sin?

The answer is yes—when prayer becomes gossip, it is sinful. However, that doesn’t mean the practice itself is unbiblical; it means the misuse is sinful. The problem is not the requests; it’s the sinful humans involved.

Therefore, we should continue the practice of intercessory prayer and sharing our burdens (James 5:16). It cultivates humility and compassion. It strengthens unity and aids accountability. The fact that some people misuse it doesn’t negate any of this.

And since we noticed Galatians 6:2—“Bear one another’s burdens”—perhaps we should also practice Galatians 6:1 when we see this gossip occurring: “if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”