Devotees should pray to the Lord for devotional service, because it is devotional service that relieves one from suffering, as well as from the root or seed of sufferings. The devotees are not interested in simply getting some temporary relief. We have to remove the seed of all suffering. The example is given that when you turn over the soil, it appears that nothing grows. However, everything is still underneath the soil. In due course of time, the weeds will grow up again. We may clear away our immediate suffering, but we have just turned everything underneath the soil. They will grow up again. However, Prabhupada says that the fried seed cannot fructify.Therefore we have to burn the seed so it will never fructify. Devotional service does that. Devotional service can relieve both immediate reactions and all future reactions. It is therefore more intelligent to pray for devotional service than for freedom from sufferings.
LFD Vol 3,Spiritual Strength Pg 150, 3rd paragraph