It can be hard to see how human prayers could affect what God does. For one, God, perhaps, would be unchanging and unaffected by anything other than himself. Secondly, God would be infinitely knowledgeable and, thus, already aware of our needs. And he would be infinitely benevolent and powerful, too; so he would already have the will and ability to make the world as good as it could be overall.

One might suggest that in making petitionary prayers where you asked God for something, he might
give it to you so as to reinforce your relationship with him. One of God’s aims would always be to make the world as good as possible overall. And part of what would make the world better are human relationships with God because such relationships would be a great good, such that their existence would add value to the world. So God would want to cultivate such relationships. One way for God to reinforce our relationship with him when we’d initiated it would be to give us what we asked for. Blessing us that way would incentivize us to continue to seek a relationship with God. If that’s why God would give us what we asked for, then whether he gave it to us would depend almost strictly on whether we had initiated a relationship with God.

But a couple of things seem off about this. One, it does not seem to be that giving us anything we ask for is what God would do. Rather, it seems like God would give us only the things we ask for which are in accordance with the overall good of the world. But if that is so, why would God need a petitionary prayer from someone in order to initiate those things? Wouldn't God do what is in accordance with the overall good no matter what? It seems that that would necessarily be his will. So wouldn't the only adequate petitionary prayer be something like 'Your will be done'? Second, if God's will is to bring about the overall good, it just seems lucky if you happened to pray for the right thing. If this is correct, and the view above is correct, then one's relationship with God would seem to be based on luck. For one who just happened to pray for a specific thing that God already wills to do, he or she would see their petition "fulfilled" and be on track for a relationship with God based on chance. It does not seem like there are cases where God wouldn't have given you something you asked for if you hadn't initiated a relationship with him. It seems too strange to say that a human would affect God in this way. God knows what you want because he is omniscient. God can make that happen because he is omnipotent. And God would create an overall good world in which God would cultivate relationships with its inhabitants because he is omnibenevolent. Additionally, if God knows that giving you want you want (so long as it is in accordance with his will) will help cultivate a relationship with you, then he will give you want you want without you praying for it.

1. God necessarily acts to bring about overall good in the world.
2. Part of what brings about overall good in the world are human relationships with God.
3. God will necessarily cultivate relationships with humans.
4. God knows everything that everyone wants whether they pray for it or not.
5. God giving one what they want helps them cultivate a relationship with him.
6. IFF what one wants aligns with the overall good of the world, God will necessarily give one what they want.
7. Therefore, IFF what one wants aligns with the overall good of the world, God will give one what they want whether or not they pray for it.