The 5 Bible Verses Missed or Misunderstood by 99% of ChristiansSample

God’s Message To Jeremiah

In the days of Jeremiah, the Israelites were sent into captivity for 70 years because they had become disobedient to God and His law. Jeremiah was God’s prophet to the people at this time and was tasked with providing spiritual leadership to the wayward nation of Israel.

During his tenure as a prophet, God instructed him NOT to pray for the Israelites:

“So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you." – Jeremiah 7:16

“Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress." – Jeremiah 11:14

Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people." – Jeremiah 14:11

To the best of my knowledge, this is the only place in all of scripture where God specifically tells someone NOT to pray. In this case, God telling His prophet not to pray for His people sends a pretty clear message that God was not happy. And, I guess that’s why the Israelites were sent into captivity for 70 years.

For us today, we are given the opposite example and instruction. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray and often went off for extended times to pray on His own. If you ever wonder whether you should be praying about your next decision at work or home, check what Jesus did here:

"One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them…" - Luke 6:12-13

Did you catch that? Jesus, the Son of God, spends the WHOLE NIGHT in prayer before choosing His disciples. That’s the example we need to follow – pray for every decision, especially those where we think we might be specially trained to already make that decision on our own!

Not sure about that? Then check the words of the Apostle Paul on how prayer is God’s will for all of our lives:

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Prayer should be an integral part of our lives, just as Jesus demonstrated, and as encouraged by the Apostle Paul. Let us seek God's guidance and wisdom through prayer in every aspect of our journey.