I know that there are many mentions in the Bible about praying with faith, having child-like faith, not wavering in your prayers, because then God won't answer them, etc. I guess I've always had a shroud over prayer that you have to do it just "so" or it won't work right. It has never lead to disappointment with God, rather only with myself.
I remember when I was younger, I was at church camp, (the year that John Schlitt from Petra was there) I don't recall at all what the message was that evening, but it had moved into a time of praise and worship, and an altar call for anyone who wanted prayer for healing. I must have been in 8th or 9th grade because I was still getting used to wearing contacts, after wearing my glasses for the last 4-5years. I didn't care for them much at all, but it was better than nothing. That night I decided I wanted something more. It was God's will to heal us all, right? So I went up and had hands laid on, and prayed that God would heal my eyes. And, as a step of faith, I took my contacts out. And I cried, and prayed, and thanked God, because he would heal me.
And I prayed some more, and got a little more desperate, and after awhile, I just was disappointed and tired, and I had lost one of my contacts. So I was crying again, but definitely not tears of joy over God meeting my needs. One of the parents that was there came over to console me in the now nearly empty chapel. I told her all about what I was feeling, and she was actually very helpful. She told me about a medical condition that she had, something that she struggled with for awhile. She believed God would heal her, and that actually came about in the form of a surgery. God had used medicine to heal her problem, because that's what it's there for. It helped me to see that God doesn't always answer our prayers in the way we would expect him to.
I was thinking about this over the weekend because Greg had recently blogged about prayer, and trying to find out what he really truly believes about it. This part of prayer, the asking for things and not getting them, has always been a sore spot for me. I think it's because I picked up growing up that the focus is usually on the person praying - do you truly believe? And not on God; the focus is on our will instead of His. Some who object to that focus compare it to having a genie in a bottle - just say the right prayer and God will grant your every desire. My sister in-law is separated from her husband, and it's just a matter of time before they will be divorced. Does God want this? No. Did I pray for them? Yes, a lot. Then what happened? They both chose to listen to their feelings or whatever other influences, and now have thrown the whole family into turmoil. Is it God's will that everything works out exactly this way? I can't answer that. But will he be able to use it for His glory? I'm willing to wait and see, and keep praying.