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I don't find this condescending; actually, I find it touching. To me, "I will pray for you" means "I hope the best for you." It is a kind of human connection that one establishes as a means of bringing a hope of peace to another within their society.
I think we'd be better off as a whole if more people prayed for one another. Even if there were no God, it still has a benefit. For those who find it condescending, I think this is because there are some who find any kind of help as such. People sometimes react this way to favours. For example, say a neighbour learns that your husband is quite sick with the flu and comes over with a batch of fresh, homemade chicken soup. You might react negatively to this, thinking, "My neighbour believes I cannot look after my own husband!" when, in fact, the neighbour was simply hoping to lend a hand in a way they found useful, because they wish your husband good heath and think that you are perhaps busy with other things. Maybe you have kids or a demanding job.
Although prayer isn't as physically evident as a benefit, it does have its effects. What others think and say affect us all. Words can harm just as they can heal. Have you ever felt great stress or sadness or anger from what someone has said to you? Has a single, simple sentence spoken negatively ruined your entire day? Your week?
Prayer and other expressions of hope can also have an impact, but in a good way. They are positive vibes that are communicated between us. They should not appear condescending if they are the genuine workings of compassion, if their aim is to make for a better world.
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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön
Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot
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