"Some Christians say with frustration, "I prayed, but God didn't hear me," when what they mean is, "God didn't do what I told him to do." But God doesn't intend to do what you tell him to do. Prayer isn't designed to get God to do our will; prayer is designed so that we can stand in His presence and know what His will is, and submit to it."
-- Henry Blackaby, Experiencing the Cross, p. 164