I think an helpful answer to this would be the following
Isaiah 55:6-9 NKJV
[6] Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
[7] Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon. [8] "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor
are your ways My ways," says the LORD. [9] "For as the heavens are higher than
the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 NKJV
[11] For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of
peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. [12] Then you will call upon
Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. [13] And you will seek Me and
find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
A child might want to reach out and grab the fascinating flames of a fire, but
to do so would be dangerous.
A person might want instant healing but it may be that during their illness they will
draw closer to God and learn patience.
A person might want a specific job because it attracts a big salary, but maybe God
knows all that money will change that person and lead them to being a slave to money.
A person might fall in love and want to marry someone, but maybe God knows it would
be a complete disaster.
We tend to put physical needs first but I believe our spiritual needs, spiritual growth and
where we will spend eternity is God's priority. We tend to live like there is no tomorrow
but God the Father is so concerned with our eternity that God the Son died on a cross.
The vast majority of the bible was concerned with God's redemptive plan. But while it is
finished, in one sense it's also still going. It is active in each new life born on planet earth.
I believe prayer is important, our prayers do get answered especially if we partner with God and ask
Him to show us His will and plans.
God can do anything but He won't impose His will on us, He wants us to partner with Him and
align ourselves with Him. He wants a relationship with us and you can't have a relationship
with someone without talking to them.
There is a really old custom in the UK of two people pulling the wish bone on a chicken or turkey and
whoever gets the larger part, makes a wish. It's the V shaped bone.
Ages ago over a week, I had the same repeated dream 3 nights running in which I
saw my hand with a wishbone in it. Then on the fourth night I got the entire dream
in which I held up the wish bone and curled my little finger around one side. I
just knew in the dream that God was about to curl his little finger around the other
half and pull it with me, but then just as it was about to happen I woke up.
I was gobsmacked! I couldn't get back to sleep and I spent ages looking up various
things in the bible and I came across these verses in Job.
Job 19:23-26 NKJV
[23] "Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!
[24] That they were engraved on a rock With an iron pen and lead, forever!
[25] For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;
[26] And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God,
In some versions it is translated as Oh that I wish they were inscribed ....
Well it struck me that Job's wish came true, his story is recorded in the bible for
all to see! Job suffered but his suffering amounted to a bigger plan in which his
wish came true, God was glorified and all the readers down the ages take great
comfort in the truth that God knows our frame, He will not give us more than we
can endure and the knowledge that God's eternal plans are far greater than
we can comprehend. Job was restored and was to become a blessing to
us all.
If you want to be excited about prayer, ask God to show you how to pray and ask
God what He wants you to pray about! Not many do that but you will be amazed
at what transpires, you see prayer is a two way thing!
As for those desparate emergency prayers, God does answer those He knows what our
needs are before we ask, but by praying, we receive such a blessing when the answer comes.
I experienced that many times last year.