F.B. Meyer emphasizes that the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to fulfill the prophecy of the return of the Jewish captives from Babylon, as foretold by Jeremiah and Isaiah. He highlights the importance of prayer, as exemplified by Daniel, in influencing leaders and initiating divine movements. Meyer notes that while God can stir hearts, obedience is essential, and sadly, only a few of the Jewish captives responded to the call to return. He encourages believers to rise up and act whenever they feel a divine stirring in their lives. Ultimately, the sermon calls for faith and responsiveness to God's leading.

Michael Durham preaches on the significance of fasting as a spiritual discipline, emphasizing that fasting is a tool used by Jesus and His apostles to unplug from the world and connect with the power of God. He explains the wrong ideas about fasting, highlighting that fasting is not about legalism, manipulating God, or spiritual bribery, but rather about seeking God's pleasure above all else. Durham delves into the definition of fasting as the self-denial of routine pleasures to gain pleasure in God, emphasizing that fasting is a means to express hunger for God and humble the flesh. He explores different fasting methods, lengths, frequencies, and purposes, including seeking guidance, help in difficult times, and ministry endeavors like missions and evangelism, ultimately stressing that fasting is for God's sake and to create a hunger for Him.