Listening

 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me! There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god. I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. "But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.

Psalm 81:8-12 (ESV)
 
There are times when God chooses to give us what we deserve. My dad used to tell me to be careful what I prayed for because God might answer it. When I was young, I wondered what he meant. Now that I am not older, I get it.
 
I could pray for comfort; God might grant that, and my comfort might keep me from my purpose. I can pray for peace, and the peace might keep me from pursuing God. I could pray for riches, and the riches might control me. I need to pray that I listen to God.