What a great promise we have for prayer if we are believers on the Lord Jesus Christ! But not only do we have the promise, we can also have "the confidence", or 'assurance' (and not on our prayers, but "in him", i.e. on our Lord), "that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us"! Note that "ask" here means a demand of something due, which tells us, then, that God has already guaranteed to "freely give us all things" for "his own Son" sake (Romans 8:32), so that we can be reverently 'out-spoken' in our prayers. Nevertheless, we are not to be 'presumptous' in our prayers, as it is being taught of prayer today by the 'Name It, Claim it' group, or the Health and Wealth gospellers; no, our prayers are to be based on what God has determined to give us in His beloved Son; and that is when "he heareth us".  Therefore, being assured of that, "we know that he hears us", so that "whatsoever we ask", i.e. demand, "we know that we have the petitions (the things we ask for) that we desired (ask) of him". Notice, also, that the word "know" here is sometimes translated to see. Can we say, then, that when we pray according to God's will, not only do we know we are getting the answer to our prayers, but that also we can see by faith the answer to our prayers? Yes, HALLELUJAH!!!; for what is FAITH, but "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1); and remember, true faith only prays according to God's will, as our precious Savior showed us: "Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:36). Is this way we pray? Oh, may it be so for Christ's sake and His glory. Amen!