James 4:2, You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
A great many of our prayers go unanswered because our motivation in prayer is improper (Ja 4:3 above). So I have taken to asking myself a few questions about my requests, especially if it seems they are not being answered. I can have some degree of confidence of praying rightly if questions about the request are “yes” for the first seven questions below, and “no” for the last one.
Does the request seek God’s glory {1 Cor 10:31}?
Does the request require faith in God {Heb 11:6}?
Does the request require sacrifice on your part {Lk 9:23}?
Does the request seek to build up the Body of Christ {Eph 4:11-16}?
Does the request require using gifts God has given you {Mt 25:14-23, 1 Cor 12:7-11}?
Is this a burden and/or passion deep in your heart about what you are asking?
Is there a need… and… do godly people affirm what you are asking {Acts 16:9-10}?
Are you asking for self promotion in any way {Phil 2:3-4}?