ASKING FOR MATERIAL THINGS IN OUR PRAYERS
Some people have the opinion that asking God for any material things is not good and that God does not associate with any prayers for material things. They are also under the impression that a good spiritual person should not associate themselves with any material things. This thinking is not correct as we should understand the difference between material needs and material gains because what we should not be asking from God are things of material gains.
We all need ground to walk on, air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat. Our body in itself is something that is material and therefore to keep it well fed, well sheltered and well protected are examples of material needs. Asking for something in abundance of what we already have is a material gain, and that is what we should not be praying for as anything that is in abundance is surplus and can get wasted and any waste is not appreciated by God. God or His angels do not respond to prayers asking for material gains. An example for a material gain is praying for a winning lottery ticket.
Yet, a person praying for material gains is in a better position than a person not praying at all. Meaning if a person does not accept the existence of God then the person is not on God's path. But those who pray to God even for material gains, like asking for a winning lottery ticket, is on the path of God. This is so because by praying such a prayer the person has acknowledged the existence of God - also this person has acknowledged that God has the power to grant such a prayer. So this person is at least on God's path by acknowledging God's existence and can now progress further.