Chapter 3: Why G-d is not like the Genie

...And therefore it is simple that praying [for one's immdiate needs] is not reserved for those who especially expreience G-d's closeness and are standing before G-d like the righteous of the generation and so forth,
But rather whoever has a request is biblically ordained to make their request from G-d and sometimes it will be received favorably and fulfilled and sometimes not, and it is just as with a flesh and blood king from whom anyone can make a request even from among the very lowliest and perhaps the king will fulfill their request

The foundation of prayer is that everyone is allowed to and encouraged to pray for whatever they feel would be a beneficial change in their lives.

However, it is not incumbent upon G-d to grant our requests. As we mentioned in Ch. 1, the activity of prayer is an expression of my belief in the all-encompassing oversight of G-d over every detail of my universe even the most minute. My faith in G-d's abilities allows me to pray to Him for my needs. However, whether my request is granted or not is not related to the fervor behind my petition, or on the strength of my faith. Rather, as Rabbi Steinsaltz pointsout, G-d answers each individual according to whether their request is something that is actually beneficial to their lives.

There are various folk tales of people that encountered genies (or djinns) or other wish-granting creatures and whose lives only became worse as a result of their wishes. Sometimes it's for our own good that our wishes in our prayers are not granted. My prayer experience can bring about a real change in my world. But prayer is not a transaction, or a withdrawal of funds. It is an appeal to a king who is all-knowing and has only my best interests at heart and takes everything into consideration before granting my wish.

Sometimes I pray for success in a certain area, or in a certain endeavor, and in retrospect I see that it would have been better if I had not received it. The gemara warns that an individual should not pray too much to marry a particular woman, because G-d may grant his request in order to teach him a lesson, and not because that woman is actually a fitting partner for him.

Just like when petitioning a flesh and blood king or even our boss, we know that our request or suggestion will not necessarily be accepted but we make it based on our belief that there is a chance that if it is a wise request or change, it will be implemented by the person to whom we are appealing.

Chapter 1: The Prayer of a Baking Worm

...But the biblical obligation [of Prayer] is that... through this one will know and comprehend that the Holy One Blessed Be He alone directs His world and supervises all the minute details of his creations and he alone has the power to extract us from or nullify our troubles.

Turning to G-d in prayer for relief from our acute or chronic suffering is an expression of faith. But it is not a general faith. It is rooted in the belief that G-d truly cares for and oversees every minute detail of the creation.

The following story of the Ba'al Shem Tov illustrates this point:

The story goes that the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement, was once walking with a disciple who had a difficult time understanding how every tiny event in this world has a purpose. Just then a gust of wind blew a leaf to the ground. “And that, too?” the chassid asked. The Baal Shem Tov nodded wisely and motioned to him to pick up the leaf. Underneath lay a worm which had been in the blazing sunshine a moment before. Hashem had sent the wind to dislodge the leaf in order to protect the helpless worm…

Therefore, prayer is purely an expression of my faith that G-d is not only capable of changing my reality but he cares about and is Himself personally involved in every minute detail of my life.

From the Path of Your Commandments by the Tzemach Tzedek, Root of the Commandment of Prayer: