“Neither he (Zedekiah) nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.” Jeremiah 37:2 NIV
Those with a hardened heart will disregard and ignore the word of God. Though one witnesses the fatal effects of another person’s sins, they will show a lack of concern by stepping into and following the same destructive course. It becomes a game of playing with fire, being purposefully defiant by doing the exact opposite of what one ought to do.
“King Zedekiah, however, sent Jehukal son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: ‘Please pray to the Lord our God for us.'” Jeremiah 37:3 NIV
Despite refusing to listen to and heeding to the Lord’s words, one verse later Zedekiah is now requesting Jeremiah to pray to the Lord on their behalf. It is common for those who believe in God and in His mighty power to request prayer while in the midst of their distress. While at the same time, sinners with a hardened heart in the midst of their trials, will also find themselves doing and requesting the same. On one hand, this ‘last resort’ for the hardened heart may be a ‘if God can’t help us no one can’ attempt, or it may be the realization and evidence of acting contrary to their own conscience.
Though it may seem unlikely, God will use whatever instruments he has determined to use, to fulfill His plan. May our ears be open to hear His word, may our hearts be open to accept His word, and may our minds be open to listen to and heed to His word.
Lock Your Wings 
“Then Jeremiah asked the king, “What crime have I committed? What have I done against you, your attendants, or the people that I should be imprisoned like this?”
Jeremiah 37:18 NLT
In light of this season we are currently living, it’s hard to imagine people being refused entry into various places unless they wear a mask, Canadian pastors put in jail, and the powers that be enforcing stores closures and what people can buy but that’s our current reality. Jeremiah found himself in a similar unimaginable situation: thrown in prison for speaking what people didn’t want to hear. Those in power hold the key to what is allowed and not allowed and we can make a decision to obey or disobey. There are consequences for both.
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