What if the main object in God’s idea of prayer be the supplying of our great, our endless need—the need of Himself? What if the good of all our smaller and lower needs lies in this; that they help to drive us to God? Hunger may drive the runaway child home, and he may or may not be fed at once, but he needs his mother more than his dinner. Communion with God is the one need of the soul beyond all other need, prayer is the beginning of that communion, and some need is the motive of that prayer. Our wants are for the sake of our coming into communion with God, our eternal need.
~~ George MacDonald
George MacDonald, 19th-century Scottish pastor, author, and all-around man of God (along with being one of the major contributors to C.S. Lewis' conversion to Christianity) had a way of pulling his reader in two directions at once; upward, toward the sublime realm of God's greatness, holiness, majesty, and glory - and at the same time , not downward, necessarily, but rather more deeply into the realities of our earthly lives, as evidenced in above quote. His relationship with a holy and majestic God brought MacDonald to the recognition of the holiness and majesty of our everyday lives, in essence baptizing its most simple and mundane aspects in the beautifying presence of God.
So often, when presented with needs and problems, we become irritated, and while perhaps going quickly to God in prayer, it's more of a complaint registered to the appropriate Customer Service hotline. What if, instead of saying "Oh, Lord! I have no idea what this situation in my life is all about, and it really is a nuisance, so would You please come and take care of it?" we were to say "Ah, Lord! Another opportunity to come and seek Your face. Thank you!" And of course, I'm asking myself that question first.