"But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the Lord that he spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray for us to the Lord our God.”" -- Jeremiah 37:2-3

The above passage reflects the wonder of the ages. The world is full of those who refuse to listen to the Lord, but they are quick as a jack rabbit to pray. This is like the man who ignored the "wet paint" sign on the park bench and then promptly sent the cleaning bill to the park rangers office.

The Word of God is given for good purpose. In it we find wisdom and counsel for the challenges of life. There are also commands that are given for our protection and blessing. The Lord didn't give us the privilege of prayer just to get out of the trouble that disobedience causes.

Listen and obey as well as pray my friend. Like any new product, we are instructed to read the handbook first before we call the help line. Prayer was never intended to be just a "Get Out of Jail" card. So, always take time to listen and life will be much better.