I was listening to a local rock radio station the other day, when I heard it again - the DJ was sending good vibes out to someone in a difficult situation. 

Hey man, I'm thinking' about you, and sending good vibes your way. 

I've started to see this popping up more and more frequently in conversations, Facebook, and other cultural pulse-points.  Of course, the words aren't exactly groundbreaking, but their growing frequency in conversation seems to be.  I find them to be odd words.

The first thing that I think of when I hear them is oh, this person doesn't believe in God - or at least in prayer.  And yet there's this desire to say something.  Something encouraging, of sorts.  But meaningful encouragement must be rather hard to come by, so good vibes will have to do. 

I have something I can say to people who are going through a hard time.  I tell them that I will pray for them.  My commitment to do this implies several things:

1. There is a God
2. This God loves me, and also the other person
3. My praying to this God is a moving from an internal emotional response to another person's situation, through a Biblical filter of what I know about God and His will and work in this world, resulting in an appeal to an external source for change
4. I can pray to this God for specific things for the other person - healing, comfort, strength, peace, patience, joy - which He is able to provide
5. My God's willingness and ability to act in this person's situation are not bound by this person's willingness or ability to acknowledge God.  I pray for my atheist friends as well as my Christian friends
6. My prayers are not hampered by my own lack of knowing what to pray for or how to pray.  My prayers go to my God, who does know far more intimately than I or my friend what is necessary and helpful
7. In praying, I acknowledge the Biblical tension that I myself cannot do anything to help their situation, but that I can intercede on their behalf with my God.  I am powerless personally, but I have access and audience with the God who created the universe
8. Because of these things, I have a real reason to hope that their situation will change by the power of God

If someone is wishing someone else good vibes or some other sentiment, what might this imply?

1. There is not a God.  If there were a god that this person believed in as a more powerful source for change than themselves and their own feelings, why wouldn't they appeal to it? 
2. The person they are responding to is suffering or struggling in a vacuum.  Their situation is either of no concern to a god or there is no god that is concerned and aware of their situation.  They are alone
3. Wishing someone good vibes is a purely internal, subjective act.  The vibes are apparently internally homed and generated.  While the 'sender' can't apparently do anything else to assist the 'recipient', the vibes are somehow intended to make the 'recipient' feel better all the same.  This appears to be wishful thinking if there isn't a means for the vibes to actually accomplish what they are intended to do - which is rarely defined, in my experience.  Because -
4. Specificity is not a part of this process.  I don't hear people talking about sending good vibes for anything specific.  What do good vibes do?  What can they do?  Can they heal?  Can they give comfort?  What sort of comfort is received from the vibes that is different from knowing that one has friends or loved ones that care about you?  Does the sender honestly think that they generate good vibes, and that these good vibes might actually impact the recipient in any tangible way?
5. From what I can tell, since the vibes themselves aren't seriously considered to have any actual power to alter anything, the main issue is that the recipient know that the sender is sending them good vibes.  If the recipient doesn't know that I'm sending them good vibes, the good vibes serve no other purpose.  Is this a profoundly selfish thing?  I can't do anything to help you, but I want you to know that I'm a nice person and so I am telling you that I am sending you good vibes
6. Since good vibes aren't assumed to have any actual impact, I don't even have to worry about what I really hope or wish or - dare I say it - pray - for this other person.  As long as I've sent the good vibes, my duty to this person is over
7. Not only can the person sending good vibes not really do anything to help, there doesn't seem to be any other entity capable of helping the person.  The true responsibility for change or improvement - if any is to be found - is with the recipient still
8. Sending good vibes doesn't give me any hope that the vibes are going to do anything.  I don't expect them to.  The recipient doesn't expect them to.  It's just something nice to say, that helps us feel like we're doing something helpful

There is probably much more at play here.  From what I can tell, sending vibes is a subjective act equivalent to wishing upon a star, and the expectation of improvement or change for the recipient is probably about equal.  Prayer actually offers hope, since prayer assumes that there is one being prayed to that is able and potentially willing to act in the situation to change the situation.  Good vibes can't offer hope - but rather a shallow form of solidarity.  

I can't think of anything more useless to offer someone who is really suffering, really struggling, really floundering somehow.