Powerful prayers

There are many examples in the Bible of very simple prayers that were immediately answered in direct, positive ways.  The prophet Elisha asked God to prove to the King of Aram that God's protection was more powerful than the Syrian army.  God responded by surrounding Elisha with a mountainside full of chariots of fire.  But sometimes prayers are not answered so dramatically, and sometimes they are not answered the way we want them answered.  Jesus himself prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane to be relieved of his pending crucifixion.  God did not do this.  We see that often God answers in a way other than what we might prefer...