Three Steps to Answered Prayer 
Matthew 7:7-8 
What makes a prayer really a prayer? The saying of it, the hearing of it, or is it the answering of it? Most Christians pray superficial and shallow prayers. We pray like children in a sandbox throwing up sand toward the sky. Our prayers today may be exactly the opposite tomorrow. 
Garth Brooks sung a song about "Unanswered prayers", and I'm glad some of mine were set aside!  Prayer is not some mystical gift which binds the hands of God to do as we wish. Prayer is the communication between a Father and His child. Jesus Himself prayed constantly as an illustration to us, and he taught on prayer to help us understand and answer our questions.  In this passage, Christ revealed three elements to real prayer. Each of these elements must be active for prayer to really work for you!
I. THE PRINCIPLE OF ASKING Ask, and it shall be given you... 
The principle of asking seems to be elementary, but there are ways one can ask.  We may ask for a glass of tea, knowing that our host will gladly supply it. We may ask our dentist, "will it hurt?" though we already know it probably will. We may ask the policeman, "Do you really have to give me a ticket?" knowing that he won't change his mind. The Greek word for "ask" is "aiteo" and it means to beg or to crave. This kind of asking is serious, humble and dependent. It is respectful and honoring to the one asked. 
In verse 9 and 10 of our present passage we see the child's humble asking. He asks his father for bread and fish. The child knows his father can provide, and has confidence that he will do so. Jeremiah 33:3 says Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Psalm 2:8 says Ask of me, and I shall give thee... Psalm 145:18, The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. This is not the superficial asking of a customer in a store who would like to examine the merchandise. Prayer is not "shopping for an answer", prayer is asking expectantly for an answer. Jesus taught us to ask, Give us this day our daily bread... The blind man called out to Jesus by the way, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. When Jesus asked him his need, he said, Lord, that I might receive my sight... Peter, when sinking beneath the waves, said Lord, save me. 
One would think that this principle would be a simple one.  Even though with its eaze everybody ought to be calling on God, Jesus' brother James tells us ye have not, because ye ask not. (James 4:2) How many times have you heard someone say, "Why didn't you just say so?" Sometimes it's hard to get to the point. The rider who flags down a cab must tell the driver where he wants to go! The lady who walks in the grocery store has a list when she gets there. The Christian who would communicate with His Heavenly Father must ASK, and know what the need of the day is! Our prayers must not be like political speeches, with flowery language but saying nothing. They must not be like poetry, with rhythm, eloquence and beauty. The first great principle of answered prayer is to ask. 
II. THE PRINCIPLE OF ABIDING seek, and ye shall find 
The second great principle of answered prayer is to seek. The word seek here, Grk-"zete", means to seek in order to find out by thinking, meditating, and reasoning; to inquire into. 
Mat. 6:33 
But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.   Psa. 27:8; 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; My heart said unto thee, Thy face, Jehovah, will I seek. Psa. 119:2; 2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, That seek him with the whole heart. Pro. 8:17;17 I love them that love me; And those that seek me diligently shall find me. 
Isa. 55:6; 6 Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near: Jer. 29:13; 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 
Heb. 11:6 ...that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.	
*Jesus expounded on this "continual seeking" in the Gospel of John. He called it "abiding." 
John 15:4-7 
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.	
To abide in the Vine (in Christ) is a threefold proposition. We abide in Him in relationship to place, time and condition. We abide with Him wherever He is, all the time, and in whatever condition we find ourselves. This is the place where we find answers to our prayers! There is a living connection between the vine and the branch. The life and fruitfulness comes from the vine to the branches. Jesus says Without me ye can do nothing. Notice especially verse 7: If ye abide in me and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Contrast this verse with James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. One commentator called this the "absence of holy desire," and surely it is. There is no "asking amiss" when we abide in Him, for His desires and blessings flow from the vine to the branches. We are one in our prayers! 
III. THE PRINCIPLE OF ANTICIPATING knock, and it shall be opened unto you 
Our last principle deals with "knocking." It means to literally knock on a door. It is the same word, krouo, used in Revelation 3:20 when Jesus says Behold, I stand at the door and knock... To knock on a door is to anticipate an answer. We knock because we seek entry; we have a desire to have dealings with someone inside. There is a sense of expectation, or anticipating, in knocking...or simply put, there is faith. Jesus commanded us to have faith in God. He constantly chided the disciples, How is it that you have no faith? 
1 Joh. 5:14, 15; And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 
And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. Joh. 14:13, 14; 
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. Mar. 11:24;Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.	
Our heart's reply to those verses is "if only it were that easy." But it is that easy, if we have faith! Jesus said, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. *But remember the order of the principles: ask, abide, and lastly, anticipate. Are you abiding in Him? Is your request pleasing unto Him? Are you sure you are asking "according to His will"? If so, then have faith in God!   *If you don't watch out, the Devil will tell you that God is not willing, and so we lack faith in Him. If we do not abide in Christ, we ask amiss for things that are not pleasing to Him. Then we seem to have faith, and are disappointed when we do not receive the object of our lust.   James warns us in James 1, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 
In Acts 12, Peter was in prison but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. (v. 5), and God got him out...(and as Denny Dyson said in an old sermon "AND HE GOT OUT WITHOUT GETTIN KILLED"!!!). Conclusion: I'm afraid that we are willing to try everything before we ask God. Then we ask, but where is the seeking and knocking? Answered prayer comes from asking, abiding in Him and anticipating that God will answer our requests.