Daniel 9:1, 2
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.
Reflection: Sermon Notes… Bonus
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
If you are reading this Rooted, God bless you! I thought today I would reflect on the sermon from yesterday and let you in on some notes that were edited out for time constraints. When I preach (I am sure I am not unique in this process), I write pages of notes as I study. Many, many things I learn get left on the editing floor as they are things, interesting as they may be, that are not germane and important to the sermon direction. In this sermon’s case, there were several things that were painful to cut out…. points that could have been great for a “part 2!” So, you, my friends, are now privy to the cutting room floor. Bonus sermon points!
One of the main points I made in an early draft of the sermon was that prayer is sometimes informed by our study of Scripture. Indeed, this was the case for Daniel. It is his desire to read Jeremiah’s scroll that spurred on for him a desire to pray and to fast. I for one am glad that he did read Jeremiah’s scroll, as the fruit of that was a great model prayer for our study. How many times (many, many) have I prayed as a result of reading something in the Word?! This happens often that the Word becomes a guide for something to pray for. It is as though the Word of God informs how we pray…. It brings to mind something we might pray for. I might encourage you to read the Scripture as a means to inform you of what to pray for in a given day. Perhaps this discipline is part of what God may be trying to teach us out of Daniel 9!
Prayer
Lord, may your word bring to our minds ways in which we might pray, and may we learn to listen to your Spirit to lead us!
