Ripples in a Pool

The resurrected Jesus prayed among the multitude of His Nephite witnesses in the Western Hemisphere to set the example. He then gave them this commandment: 

Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.
--3 Nephi 18:21

Praying for others is an essential element of Christian discipleship. It is more than a suggestion or a good idea, it is a commandment. 

If my daily prayers do not include the seeking of blessings for others, my petitions for myself are in vain. Prayer is like ripples in a pool of water. They tend to start in the center with myself and then spread out in concentric circles to take in first those who are closest to me, then my extended family, neighbors and friends, my acquaintances, the broader community, my leaders (both secular and religious), the nation, and eventually even my enemies. 

Jesus teaches me here to begin with my immediate family and then work my way out. I pray in His name because I always try to pray His prayer—the kind of prayer He would offer in my circumstance. When I learn that kind of prayer, nothing will be withheld from me.