According to Osho, Wilde's aphorism exposes our unconscious desiring: most prayers arise from sleep, ignorance, and shortsightedness, so their fulfillment becomes punishment. Like King Midas, we beg for gold and lose life itself. Unless one becomes fully conscious, every granted wish backfires; when consciousness flowers, one needs no prayer; contentment, not petition, reigns, and one becomes an inner emperor.
We often ask for things while we are inwardly asleep, so getting them can hurt us; wake up first, then you will not need to ask.