Compulsive Asking

Have you ever prayed and felt like you spent the whole time begging God to help in some way, or solve some problem, or .....???  I know that it is okay to ask God for help, but sometimes I feel like I do it without really thinking.  I don't take the time to think of how I want Him to help.  I may have a whole list of who I want Him to help, but what exactly is it I hope He will do? 

I do chuckle to myself sometimes about how many times we pray for safety "on the way home".  I think we are worried about crashing a lot!  Or physical pain.  But the help we really need is the help that will get us to our heavenly home! Still, when we pray for safety, do we follow it up with a prayer of gratitude upon arriving safely?

Sometimes we even say prayers asking God to help us know how we can help someone, which I think is great.  But if I never think of that person the whole day, and contemplate on my own how I can help, is an idea really going to come?

I am supposing this is why people keep prayer journals.  To think of who needs their prayers, and what a good prayer for them might be.  And to write down when answers come, so that they can remember and be grateful.  Taking the time to be grateful to God before we ask for something is helpful, but I really want to work on being more deliberate and less compulsive in my asking!