Prayers of the Wicked and the Wise

Τοῖς μοχθηροῖς τοίνυν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ εὐχὴ οὐ μόνον εἰς τοὺς ἄλλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς βλαβερωτάτη. Εἰ οῦν καὶ ἄ φασιν εὐτυχήματα αἰτησάμενοι λάβοιεν, βλάπτει λαβόντας αὐτοὺς, ἀνεπιστήμονας τῆς χρήσεως αὐτῶν ὑπάρχοντας. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ, ἅ οὐκ ἔχουσιν, εὔχονται κτήσασθαι, καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα ἀγαθὰ, οὐ τὰ ὄντα, αἰτοῦνται· ὁ γνωστικὸς δὲ, ὦν μὲν κέκτηται, παραμονὴν, ἐπιτηδειότητα δὲ εἰς ἂ μέλλει ὑπερβαίνειν, καὶ ἀῖδιότητα ὦν οὐ λήψεται αἰτήσεται· τὰ δὲ ὄντως ἀγαθὰ τὰ περὶ ψυχὴν, εὔχεται εἶναι τε αὐτῷ καὶ παραμεῖναι· ταύτῃ οὐδὲ ὀρεγεταί τινος τῶν ἀπόντων, ἀρκούμενος τοῖς παροῦσιν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐλλειπὴς τῶν οἰκείων ἀγαθῶν, ἰκανὸς ὦν ἥδη αὐτῳ ἐκ τῆς θείας χάριτος τε καὶ γνώσεως· ἀλλὰ αὐτάρκης μὲν γενόμενος, ἀνενδεὴς δὲ τῶν ἄλλων· τὸ παντοκρατορικὸν δὲ βούλημα ἐγνωκὼς, καὶ ἔχων ἄμα καὶ εὐχόμενος, προσεχὴς τῇ πανσθενεῖ δυνάμει γενόμενος, πνευματικὸς εἴναι σπουδάσας διὰ τῆς ἀορίστου ἀγάπης, ἥνωται τῷ Πνεύματι. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Ἐπτὰ, Κεφ Ζ'

In the case of wicked men prayer is, not to others alone, but to themselves also, most harmful. If, then, they ask for and receive what they call good fortune, these things harm them after they have received them, for they are ignorant of how to use them well. They pray to possess that which they do not have and they ask for things which seem but are not truly good, but the wise man prays for the permanence of the things he has, fitness for what shall come to be, and the eternity of those things which he shall receive, and he prays that the things which are really good and concern the soul may be his and remain with him, and he does not desire anything which is absent, being content with what is present. For he does not lack in the good things which are dwelling with him, being already sufficient for himself through Divine grace and knowledge, but having become sufficient in himself, he stands in no want of other things, but knowing the will of the Almighty, and possessing it as soon as he prays, he attends to the all powerful, and eager to be spiritual, through boundless love, he is united to the Spirit. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 7, Ch 7.