Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:13

If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:14

"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38

When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present. 1 Corinthians 5:4

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Philippians 2:10

Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise?the fruit of lips that confess his name. Hebrews 13:15

You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. John 15:16

Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. John 16:24

He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5-6
And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. Romans 8:17
I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" Jn. 14:6.

"For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 8:16

I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. Mark 9:41

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost:" Matthew 28:19

And wherever he went?into villages, towns or countryside?they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed. - Mark 6:56

Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2.

"Prayer is one of the greatest and most excellent means of nourishing the new nature, and of causing the soul to flourish and prosper." These were some very meaningful words spoken by Jonathan Edwards over 200 years ago in his famous sermon on prayer. Times have changed and so has society, but Edward's message remains timeless. Prayer has not changed nor has its amazing benefits.

There are no limits to the rewards of praying to a God who is forgiving, patient, and good to us 100% of the time. In fact, the list truly is endless, and it's different for every individual, but the following are a few benefits that immediately come to my mind.

First, what is prayer? Prayer is not necessarily the same for everyone, but generally speaking, it is a means of communication with our heavenly Father. It can be done alone or among a group of people. It can be spoken or even sang aloud, or thought inside one's head. Sometimes no words are necessary at all, but rather it is a period of meditative thought and time spent between God and an individual.

Perhaps it is this meditative process that gives prayer one of its most outstanding benefits. Prayer is healing. Studies have actually shown that those who pray are physically and emotionally healthier than those who do not. Those who suffer depression, anxiety, and even terminal illnesses often have a quicker healing time, and more successful survival rate. Folks recover from illnesses quicker when they are able to faithfully steep themselves in prayer.

Have you ever had to work with a difficult co-worker, or is there something specific that is hard to deal with in your marriage?

Another powerful benefit of prayer is that it strengthens our relationships. When we pray for those we know and love, it helps us to understand that person a little bit better. It allows us to be more patient and understanding in frustrating situations, and knowing that He will answer our prayers in His time makes it easier. Perhaps it is because we are taking action and feel ownership in our relationships, but most likely it's God's amazing will that helps to strengthen our relationships through prayer.

Not only does prayer strengthen our earthly relationship, but it also draws us closer to the Lord. It truly helps us establish a relationship with Him, and understand more fully who he is and how he performs miracles in our lives every day. After you've begun to pray on a daily basis, you suddenly begin to see Jesus and His miracles everywhere. You see Him in the sunset, feel Him in great gratitude for the roof over your head and the food on your table. You know Jesus; you yearn to be more like him.

"Prayer that is constantly and diligently attended to is one of the best means of leading not only an amiable and pleasant life; but also a life of much sweet fellowship with Christ, and of abundant enjoyment of the light of his countenance," says Edwards in his speech. To put it quite simply, when we pray, we are growing closer to the Lord we love. We are easing the struggles in our lives and improving our relationships, all the while getting to know Him by learning His word, and applying it to our lives in many meaningful ways.

By Chris Miller. Continually giving thanks to God for his salvation, Chris strives daily to be a follower of Christ. Visit his website for uplifting handcrafted Christian plaques and gifts at Engravenword.com.

O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Isaiah 30:19-20


Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.I cried out to him with my mouth;His praise was on my tongue.If I had cherished sin in my heart,The Lord would not have listened;But God has surely listenedAnd heard my voice in prayer.Praise be to God.Who has not rejected my prayerOr withheld his love from me! Psalm 66:16-20


Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:3


For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.? Psalm 34:15-16

They devour widows? houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely. Luke 20:47

Jesus replied, ?I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ?Go, throw yourself into the sea,? and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.? Matthew 21:21-22


Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. Genesis 25:21

So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. Ezra 8:23

They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. 1 Chronicles 5:20

David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD answered prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. 2 Samuel 24:25

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. John 14:13
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. Psalm 145:19
And receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 1 John 3:22
For he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted. Psalm 9:12
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. James 5:15

You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. Job 22:27

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13

I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. Psalm 91:15

'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3

And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? Luke 18:7
Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. Isaiah 65:24

Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. Daniel 10:12

I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." John 11:42

During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Hebrews 5:7

In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. Psalm 118:5

When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. Psalm 138:3

Matthew 6:9

Our Father

Most people focus on prayer only in response or reference to how it works; prayer for us has become a means to an end and that end is usually a selfish one. Prayer is some sort of a last ditch effort, it is kind of like a spiritual insurance policy, you are glad you have it; you hope you never have to use it. However, prayer is more than that; prayer is more than just the privilege of communing with God. Prayer is and always will be first recognition of God?s majestic glory and an act of submission to it. All our petitions, all our passions, all our supplications, all our requests, all our needs, all our trials, our problems are all subject, to God?s will. Unfortunately, most people think of prayer as an effort to bring God into line with their own desires, and this is a very predominant movement today in the church.

The Pharisees, the scribes, and the Jewish people who followed their teaching had taken prayer from what God intended it to be, and they made it into a man made perverted traditional exercise by which they drew attention to themselves. They used their prayers hypocritically to show how spiritual they were. They assumed that in their prayers they were informing God of things He did not know. They created a prayer that was illegitimate, perverted, substandard, non scriptural, and Jesus then in confronting them sets the record straight. He says, you are not praying according to God?s standard, now let Me set it right, here is how prayer ought to be verse 9, ?Pray then in this way; first, Our Father.?

God is our Father, He is not some kind of a cruel, capricious, immoral being stepping on those who are His opposed subjects, but He is a loving, tender, caring Father, at His disposal all the treasures of heaven, for the behalf of His saints that His name may be glorified. Our Father then means that God is going to hear because He cares, ?Our Father who is in heaven,? means He can meet our needs because He has unlimited eternal resources. You do not have to hound God, you do not have to bang away and do something to get Him to respond. He is a loving Father; He is best illustrated in that character in Luke 15 verses 11 to 32 where you have the story called the prodigal son.

Second, ?Hallowed be Your name.?

Hallow is to set apart from everything common and profane, to esteem, to prize, to honor, to reverence, to adore as divinely and infinitely blessed the true and only God, and you cannot speak of God in earthy terms, you cannot drag God down to the street talk. God must have titles that are fitting for His power and His holiness. How easy it is in our lifetime to go through it saying, ?Hallowed be Your name,? and have no idea what we are even saying. The truth of such a petition is that God is to have the rightful priority place in our heart.

How do we hallow His name?

First, we hallow His name when we believe He exists. You can never honor God; you can never exalt God unless you believe God exists. However, it does not stop there. You can believe that God exists and still not hallow His name. When you doubt God, when you disbelieve God, when you question God, and why He did something you are not hallowing His name; wrong thoughts about God do not hallow His name.

When Job in the 30th chapter of Job, the 21st verse said these words, ?You are cruel to me,? he accused God of being unloving. When you think wrong thoughts like that about God, when you do not understand who God really is, you have not hallowed His name. When you allow into your conception of God things that are wrong and unworthy of God you are not hallowing His name. Professing Christians can do this not only by thinking wrong thoughts about God but also by not knowing who God really is. If you do not really know whom God really is you are going to doubt Him; you are going to question Him; you are not going to trust Him; you are going to be disobedient, and you are going to cause others to doubt God, and in all of that, you are not hallowing God. In order to hallow His name you must believe that God is, you must be aware that He is who He is.

Second, we hallow His name, when we are constantly aware of His presence, so that we live everyday of our lives hallowing His name. For most of us, our thoughts of God are sometimes very intense sometimes totally absent. However, to hallow His name is to draw conscious thoughts of God into every daily thought into every daily word, into every daily action. Do you see God everywhere? Do you hallow His name in your living? Is He made manifest constantly, everything you do, everything you say, everywhere you go, do you see God manifest? To hallow God means that we must believe that He is who He is, and that we must be constantly aware of His presence. However, you could do all of those things and still not hallow God?s name if you do not obey Him.

We hallow God?s name when we live a life of obedience to Him. That is the final key. You cannot come to the fullness of hallowing His name unless you obey Him. To say, I believe that You are, I believe that You are who the Bible says You are, I am aware of Your presence in my life, and then to disobey Him cuts off the capability of a person to hallow His name. You see the prayer is not just that God?s name be hallowed in heaven, it?s not just that God?s name be hallowed around the world, it is not that God?s name be hallowed in me, this is the prayer that says, God may I be a vehicle for Your holiness? That is where prayer begins.

How do we hallow God?s name, when both our doctrine and our life are truly Christian? When we have the right thoughts of God, we are hallowing His name. The first part of this prayer is, God, teach me the truth, and help me live it. ?Hallowed be thy name,? means in me God, manifest Your holiness by my right knowledge of who You are, and my right living in response to it. That is why First Corinthians 10:31 says, ?Whatever you do, whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.? That is the way we are to live; Jesus said, ?Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, who is in heaven? (Matthew 5:16). ?Hallowed be thy name,? means God be manifested through me, let the light shine through me so that I may glorify You. How do you do that? How do you obey in that way? How do you really let God be manifested through you, first, by living in obedience to His Word? The Bible says we hallow God by confessing Him as Lord. Second, we hallow God by faith. Third, we hallow God by bearing good fruit. Fourth, we hallow God by praise. Fifth, we hallow God by contentment. Sixth, we hallow God by the proclamation of His truth. Seventh, we hallow God by evangelism. Eighth, we hallow God by unity. Ninth, we hallow God by demonstrating the majesty and the glory of God so that others in seeing us will make the right judgment about whom God is and be drawn to Him.

Lord, teach us to pray.