That is because we often do not understand what we really need. We may pray for escape from a trial, but God is using that trial to teach us something far more important than temporary comfort. God may want us to be more involved in the person's life. Frankly, there are so many things wrong with this world that we should have many desires, for ourselves, for our churches and for this world. We have much to pray about.
Prayer is our cry for help.
In prayer, we admit that we are not self-sufficient, that we cannot handle everything on our own. In prayer, we acknowledge a relationship between God and us, a relationship in which God has promised to provide our needs and to bless us in ways he knows are best. Prayer is an act of worship, for it implies that God has power and that he is dependable. Thanks God supplies our needs, and it is appropriate for us to thank him for doing so. Every breath we take is a gift from him.