Prayer Requests: The Sneaky Kind of Gossip

I have gossiped so many times in the form of "prayer requests" and talking to others about who I think "be saved."  I have come to learn that what I thought was a genuine concern for the salvation of others was just a deceptive form of gossip embedded in a prayer meeting, dinner, or in a coffeeshop talk.

If I truly cared for that person, why didn't I just go straight to them and love on them rather than hope they get saved?  Even in that, am I praying for their deliverance because I have already been there and done that?  Certainly not.

What if we (believers) changed our prayers from  "I hope X gets saved" to "Lord, would you love people through me; X in particular..."