* Ask yourself if your understanding and expectations of God are wrong. Seriously consider whether you’re asking the wrong thing of God based on an unbiblical set of expectations. Make sure your prayer life reflects God’s character and His promises in the Bible. Talk with someone you trust about whether or not he or she thinks your request is sensible.

* Ask yourself if you’re praying for the second best when God wants to give you something better. As you keep praying for the good outcome you hope for, remain open the possibility that, at the right time, God will give you something even better, something beyond what you hope for now.

Recall the ways God has given you the best in the past and know that He may be delaying His answer to your current prayer until it’s time to give you the best again.

* Ask yourself if your motives are selfish. Don’t covet anything, seek something that’s inherently sinful, or insist on something and try to manipulate God to get it. Feel free to express your desires openly to God, but always with the overriding desire to fulfill His purposes for your life. Ask God to help you approach Him with pure motives, genuinely wanting what He wants for you.

* Ask yourself if your unanswered prayers are leading you into a deeper relationship with God. Understand that God will sometimes not answer your prayers because He is the ultimate Answer and He wants to draw you closer to Himself. Decide to pursue God Himself rather than what He can give you. Know that when you make your relationship with God your top priority, everything else will fall into place.