Read: Matthew 7:7-11
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? (Matthew 7:9 ESV)
My father has always been the hardest working man I have ever known. Growing up he always provided for me whatever I needed, and a lot of what I asked for. You know what? Never once in my childhood do I remember my dad giving me a rock when I asked him for something to eat. It didn't happen.
The thought of sitting down at the dinner table to find a plate full of pebbles, or a granite slab as the main course, is utterly ridiculous. Stones are not food. God may not answer our prayers exactly the way we would like for Him to, but I have yet to see Him answer a prayer by giving me something that has no chance of meeting my need.
Jesus was specific in his teaching on this subject. God is a better dad than I am. He is a better dad than yours. And He knows how to give good gifts. He doesn't do a bait and switch. He doesn't substitute the inedible for the edible. No, God answers exactly in the way that He needs to. Every time.
And the thing to take away from all of this is that we really can ask God. Whatever the situation is, Jesus compels us, that we should take it to the Father. The older I get the more I am completely convinced of this. Ask our Divine Dad. Be persistent. Get on your knees. Pray humbly, passionately, and regularly. Just ask Him.