The passage

2Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet. 6Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet:

Also referenced today

The shape of the message

1. Zedekiah’s request for prayer while rejecting God’s word
2. Prayer sought in crisis without repentance
3. A brief lifting of the siege and the temptation to trust circumstances
4. God’s warning against false hope and unchanged hearts
5. Jeremiah’s arrest and suffering for telling the truth
6. A closing call to walk out of the prison of disobedience

Questions to hold while you listen

• Where do you feel tempted to ask God for help while resisting God’s instruction, correction, or discipline?
• What are some ways you might confuse temporary relief with true deliverance, like the “check engine light” illustration?
• When you are in crisis, how can you tell the difference between desperation and repentance?
• Why is it hard to accept a faithful voice that tells the truth when it costs something—either to say it or to hear it?
• What would it look like for you to “walk out” of a specific area of disobedience where you already know what God is calling you to do?

Notes

This week

Ask yourself the question raised directly: Do you want God’s help, or do you want God’s authority? Identify one place where you already know what obedience looks like, and take a concrete step to walk out of the “prison of disobedience.”