* Ask yourself if your prayers are trivial. Acknowledge that some prayers are inconsequential or just plain stupid, such as praying for God to miraculously fill your car’s gas tank when it’s nearing empty and you haven’t yet found a gas station. If that’s the case, choose to pray in another way or do something practical yourself.

* Ask yourself if your prayers are conflicting with someone else’s prayers. Remember that God considers prayers from all the more than six billion people on our planet. Realize that He may say “no” to your request so He can say “yes” to someone else. Know that God won’t act if your prayers contradict something He wants to accomplish in another person’s life.

* Ask yourself if your prayers would impact the laws of nature in a destructive way if they were answered. Understand that some prayers aren’t answered because they would be detrimental to the world and other people’s lives in some way. Remember that, although your prayer may seem reasonable to you, God may be protecting people’s lives by refusing to answer it.

* Ask yourself if you’re expecting God to spare you from the normal consequences of living in a fallen world. Acknowledge that, in our fallen world, suffering is common for every human being. Expect to have trouble in this world, as Jesus predicted we all would. Discuss your situation with some faithful friends and honestly consider whether God is asking you to pray against your suffering, or whether He simply wants to give you the grace to endure it with Him alongside you.