You ask that prayer be made for the one you hold dear, that he might reach his professional goals, and you add that wise clause, "if it is in His will." It is well that you do so, for as surely as God's will is the axle of the universe, so must all our desires yield to that supreme pleasure. You would not have him prosper outside that circle which is the heart of providence, and so you submit your request to the throne with the right spirit.
Yet there is another cry in your heart, you wish his labour were less draining, that he might find quiet waters for his vessel because his health requires low stress. Here again, we must mingle the two prayers: "I will," yet, "Not as I will." You long for his relief, and it is no sin to plead earnestly, "Father, I will that he be spared the grinding toil," for God would have His children come boldly, taking those liberties He allows to love. But if the Master says, "Not yet," or "This is for my glory," then the true child bends before his Father's will. You can always have your way when your way is God's way; the sure path to peace is to bring your desire into alignment with His.
Remember, all things are under regulation, and nothing befalls him but what the Lord permits or ordains. His health, his burdens, his daily portion of strength, these are not chance blows but strokes measured by the hand that governs all. God may allow the abiding pressure to prove his faith, to cross-examine his trust, as fire tests a jewel. Yet that same Lord, who will not quench the smoking flax, says, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." There is a rest of soul even amid toil, a hiding place in God’s care, as a man cherishes his only son that serves him.
Pray then, with holy boldness, that if it be His will, the yoke may be eased and the road made plain. But pray also that your friend may find in Christ such a sufficiency that his soul prospers whatever his body endures. Let him not fall into that snare of robust vigour that makes men forget their Maker, but rather let him lean upon the promise, "I will have mercy upon him that had not obtained mercy." God’s provision may tarry, but it never fails. Wait upon the Lord, and trust Him to do what is best. Nothing good will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.