Ether 2
When Ether mentions that the Lord came down and talked to the Brother of Jared in a cloud he mentions the cloud and the fact that the Lord did not show Himself because he knows that this becomes significant later in the story. The fact is that this meeting was much more personal than distant inspiration. More like Moses on Sinai. This personal direction of the Lord is an indication of how righteous and steady this prophet and the group that followed him was.
Moroni repeats at least three times in a row the decree that those on this land should serve God or be swept off when they are fully ripe in iniquity – and he directly says that he is speaking to the Gentiles (the inhabitants of our day). He wants for us to not follow those who came here before us.
I wonder if not praying is really what the Brother of Jared was guilty of. I’ll bet that he was saying prayers of thanks and that his sin for four years was not seeking direction at the hand of the Lord. He was guilty of being content where He was while the Lord wished to offer him more than what he had already received.