Pray and you will receive

Both the Lord’s Prayer and the following scripture are quoted from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus gave us some advices and encouragement in this sermon. Towards the end of chapter six Jesus speaks about trusting Him, and not worry about anything. Also the following chapter of Matthew contains a strong encouragement about praying:
Matt 7:7-8
7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

God’s wish is not only that we pray, but also that we act on our own prayers. If we seek, we will find and when we knock we do something to advance our prayer answer. One example is the man or woman praying for a mate. He or she cannot sit home and expect someone unknown to come to the door and say “Will you marry me?” Sometimes the answers to our prayers depend on our own actions.

Matt 7:9-11
9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

This verse helps us to brake down a wrong perception of God. God does not give us a stone when we pray for bread because He is a good father to us. He doesn’t make us sicker when we pray for healing. When we who are evil compared to good wants to give our children the best, how much more will not the perfect Father want the best for His children?
I have memorized these verses, and I use them frequently when I pray, because this is a powerful promise Jesus gave with His own mouth.

There is power in praying scriptures. You will find more verses wherever Jesus teach and encourage prayer. In addition there are all the promises in the Bible waiting to be used in prayer. I have collected some useful scriptures below. There are a lot more, and I urge you to try and find them.

Promises when you fear something
Psalm 23:4
Psalm 91:5
Proverb 3:24
Jes 54:14
Heb 13:6

Promises when you are worried
Luk 12:22
Phil 4:6

Promises for the future of your ministry
Psalm 1:1-3
Phil 1:6
Jer 29:11

Promises against discouragement
Deu 31:8
2Tim 1:7

Promises for healing
Psalm 103:2-3
Jes 53:4

Promises for providence
Psalm 23:1
Psalm 37:4-5
Psalm 145:19
Deu 28:11
Matth 6:28-34