What to Pray For

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
JAMES 5:16
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What to Pray For
We usually press for small and trivial things and do not consider with what a great Majesty we are speaking when we pray. For if God wanted to give only small and trivial things, He would not have prescribed such a great and magnificent form of prayer (Matthew 6:9ff.): "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, etc." . . . He puts before us and offers us immense riches and the best gifts in heaven and on earth. These He wants us to ask for and to expect; for in every petition—"Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. Give us this day our daily bread, etc."—heaven and earth and everything that is in them are comprised. For what does it mean that His name is hallowed, that His kingdom comes, and that His will is done? It means to overthrow countless devils and to swallow the entire world with one prayer. But our courage is small, and our faith is weak. Therefore we should . . . learn how God is not content with a little, even though we ask for very little; but He gives more than we understand or have the courage to ask for (Ephesians 3:20).

From Lectures on Genesis (Luther's Works 4:364)
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