Scripture teaches that God answers prayer according to His will.
There are some things we may be tempted to pray for that we know (through God’s Word) are not in harmony with His will. We shouldn’t pray for these things at all.
There are other things that, as far as we can know, might be in accordance with God’s will, but they also might not be. Such things are not wrong to pray for, but we should desire God’s will to be done above all.
For example, in 2 Corinthians 12, the apostle Paul spoke about his thorn in the flesh (verse 7). Paul didn’t initially know what the Lord’s will was for him concerning this thorn in the flesh. He prayed three times that it be removed (verse 8). He came to find out, though, that it wasn’t God’s will to take this thorn in the flesh away (verse 9). Paul accepted God’s answer, and became grateful for what good could come from his thorn in the flesh (verse 10).
The point is that prayer’s power should not be confused with God promising to conform His will to ours. Though we may not always say these words, an attitude we should have when praying is, “not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).
– Michael Hickox