Ask And You Shall Receive

How can we ask God for something and know that we will receive what we ask for? Is it as simple as asking Jesus for a million dollars, believing that I will get it, and boom, there it is? No! Or do I simply use the incantation, "In Jesus Name" and then miraculously the Panthers will win the Super Bowl next year? Probably not! And yet the Bible specifically says that if I ask for something I shall receive it. The problem? We need the full context of scripture and not just one or two verses on a subject. Especially a subject as extensive as prayer.