The 3 Steps To Getting An Answer To a Prayer

The more I pray, the more I'm learning how to! I haven't read anything about it - I just do whatever feels right. Here's the 3 steps I'm seeing:

1. Pray for an answer - put a question out there to God.
2. Be open enough to HEAR the answer.
3. BELIEVE the answer *KEY STEP*

Step 1:

Obviously, you need to pose a question to God. Don't ask for something specific, that's not a prayer. That's you playing God. You're telling God that you already know what's best and for him to just GIVE it to you. God is not your personal "Genie." Only he knows best, give him that respect.

Everyone prays in a different way. I don't believe there is a right or wrong way. I like to pray at night right before bed (sometimes I even fall asleep half way in :P) but that's OK!

Step 2: 

Keep an open mind an LOOK for the answer. God will provide it in any way he feels fit. Personally, I notice mine get answered mostly when I'm sleeping. A dream... or it's my first thought when I wake up... something like that.

Step 3:

BELIEVE it. This is actually the HARDEST part. You'll be inclined to question it. "Was that really an answer or am I just crazy?" "Was that just my subconscious?" "Did I just read too much into that?"
If it feels like it was possibly an answer, it probably is.

See, I think this is where God leaves us be. He can only show a path, it's up to us to TRUST him enough to take it or recognize it.

Listen, if he were going to make it so easy as to just HAND it to you and do all the work, then what's the point? Why would he even put us here to begin with.

The decision to believe his answer has to be yours.

It sounds easy, but it isn't. Trust me, Step 3 is the toughest one and it takes time. I'm working the most on that right now.