i know this looks like a long quote, but i promise, it's worth the read. it amazes me that a second century monk could be so relevant...

"I have often prayed and asked God for what seemed good in my own estimation. Like a fool, I kept on at God to grant me this; I would not leave it to him to arrange as he knows best for me. Then, having obtained the thing I had prayed for so stubbornly, I have often been sorry that I did not leave it to the will of God, for the reality often turned out very different from the way I imagined...Do not pray for your heart's desires, for they may not entirely harmonize with God's purposes. Pray instead as you have been taught: 'May your will be done in me.' Pray to God this way about everything, that his will might be accomplished in you, for he only desires what is good and useful for your life, whereas you do not always request this."
-Evagrios of Pontus