Answered Prayers

This is just a fallacy of logic. If someone prays and it is 'answered', i.e. the desired results become apparent, it is considered by the individual to have been a 'successful' prayer. However, if the prayer is not 'answered', they assume they are not faithful enough, or God is testing them, or whatever. It's just like when something coincidental happens, people think it was somehow deliberately motivated because they can't grasp that although it is very unlikely, it is still possible. The most unlikely events are simply the most memorable and impressive. They don't happen very often, for obvious reasons, but when they do they shouldn't be seen as miraculous.