Unanswered Prayer and Christian Apologetics

Yahoo! Answers as a whole is a joke yet is more tolerable than the propaganda...er...news wing of the Yahoo! network of websites. Anyway, enough commentary. An old question from there:

Why do some some Christians blame the individual for unanswered prayer?

So according to some - we are to blame for the unansered prayer ?
do some have nothng else but the repetitive "sometimes the answer is no"
ok I don't thnk I've heard - well sometimes the answer is yes lol
I wouid think answered prayer is a circumstance not a one word answer with 3 choices
is that limiting god lol ??

And the “Best Answer” is:

Because, according to Christians, you have to have faith in order for your prayers to be answered.

Personally, I find it VERY difficult to believe that out of the millions of amputees on this planet, not a single one of them had enough "faith" to be heard by their god. But, hey, if it gets them through their day....eh?

It may be wise to harbor such disbelief in this case. Regardless of what the average Christian says on this matter, the Scriptures themselves have something different to say. For example:

40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me. 41 They cried, but [there was] none to save [them: even] unto the LORD, but he answered them not. (Psalm 18.40-41)

The context of the two verses raises two questions. First, if it is the case that to grant the petition of one person logically or by its very nature runs contrary to the granting of a foregoing petition of someone else, why should anyone expect the second request to be granted of God? Secondly, why should anyone believe that God grants the petitions or requests of people who do not obey his commands? After all, it is not just Psalm 18.41 that calls for us to think twice about asking God for anything if we are evil. For it is written elsewhere:

He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination. (Proverb 28.9)

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (1 Peter 3.7)

For the eyes of the Lord [are] over the righteous, and his ears [are open] unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord [is] against them that do evil. (1 Peter 3.12)

Some people should blame themselves for unanswered prayers on account of things for which those same people can be blamed. Besides, obedience and faith are not the only parts of the equation: there is also something to be said of persistence, per Luke 18.1-8. So, how about a new list of possible divine answers to prayer: Yes, No, Not Yet, and Did Somebody Say Something?