praying badly

Read a good article posted by a friend
How to Pray Badly - Challies Dot Com - Informing the Reforming

6 warnings from Scripture on why God may not heed our prayer (personal notes in category descriptions)

1. Selfish motives: "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions" (James 4:3). "We must ask only for things that are consistent with the character and nature of God. We must ask for things that are for the spiritual benefit of ourselves or for the person on whose behalf we pray. God will not answer our self-centered, self-serving prayers."
2. Turning away from Scripture: "If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination" (Proverbs 28:9). "Without submitting ourselves to Scripture, we may not even know what and how to pray. We pray best and most effectively when we are saturated in the Word of God."
3. Unforgiving hearts: "In Mark 11:25 Jesus says, 'And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.' Our ongoing assurance of pardon before the Father is in some way dependent on our willingness to forgive others. We must be attentive to our hearts, to ensure that we are not harboring hatred and resentment towards others."
4. Family discord: "God demands that we maintain close relationships and that we seek harmony in our family relationships. It is foremost the responsibility of the father, as the head of the household, to ensure that there is not discord within the family. The apostle Peter, a married man himself, exhorted husbands to live with their wives in an understanding way, being sensitive to their needs, 'showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered' (1 Peter 3:7)."
5. Unconfessed sin: "'If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened' (Psalm 66:18). We need to examine our hearts to see if unconfessed sin stands as a barrier between ourselves and God. We need also to ask God to reveal our sin to us. We should ask those closest to us what they have observed in our lives. While this may be difficult and humiliating, he does so because he loves us and does not wish for this sin to continue to corrupt us and to stand as a barrier between himself and us."
6. Doubt: "'If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord' (James 1:5-7). If we are to ask God, we must ask with expectancy, believing in our heart of hearts that God can and will give what we desire, provided that what we desire is really what we need and what will bring glory to him!"

Read Luke 18, Parable of the Persistent Widow.