Is it wrong if one prays to God for the fulfillment of material desires?

Very nice question rup! I don't think it is wrong to pray to God for the fulfillment of material desires. There are very few people in this world who can pray just because they love to adore God and thank Him and also pray just for the welfare of others and not for themselves. But the majority(more than 90% I think) are prayers for material benefits. I have read in the Bhaagavad Gita(I don't remember the exact verses) that there are four types of devotees in this world.. those that pray for wealth and prosperity, those who pray for health, those who pray for spiritual upliftment and those who pray just because they love God. The last section is made up of the enlightened men. All the others are normal people in their respective level of evolution. But God accepts all four types of prayers. For those who pray for material benefits, it is just the first step they take to remember God(even if it is for selfish ends). You can't do graduation unless you start from kindergarten right? So, these are their stepping stones. Slowly, they have to broaden their hearts by praying for other people. It is very very difficult to surrender everything and just accept whatever God gives us. In fact it is the last step. Very few people will not ask "What have I done to deserve this?" atleast once when faced with problems in life. And when you do surrender like that you will tested many times, each test harder than the earlier to see how strong your faith is. And if you have passed every test, the next second, you are enlightened!!

Hello, rup. One thing I like to remember is that God knows our hearts. Even if we don't ask specifically for material items, God knows our desire for them. I think sometimes it is better to pray for insight into the desires of our heart.

We pray God for happiness on earth and after. It depends on what we think it will make us happy at the moment, and it depends on our understanding of happiness at a given time. So, it's not wrong, it may only be limited, since He is omnipotent...and material world is something too small for His size. The only problem is...do you give Him in return something to match your wishes?

As we all know. God is the answer. no matter what, anything is possible for those who believe in Him