Thriving Through The Valleys Through Prayer And Perseverance

INTRODUCTION

OPENING TITLE SLIDE

• If prayer were suddenly outlawed tomorrow, would anything on your calendar need to change?

• Not: “Would you still believe?” —most of us would say yes.

• The question is, would your routine need to change?

• Would alarms need to be deleted?

• Would a window need to be closed?

• Would kneecaps get a break?

WALKING THROUGH VALLEYS SLIDE

• Many of us are walking through valleys right now—diagnoses, bills, criticism, loneliness, and that knot of anxiety in the middle of the night.

• We want to thrive, not just survive.

• We say, “I know I should pray,” but if we’re honest, prayer can feel like the last thing we reach for instead of the first.

• Perseverance sounds noble until it’s 2 a.m. and the lions of fear are pacing.

• These times and seasons are the moments that test our faith and character.

• But what if the goal isn't just to get through the valley but to thrive in it?

• The life of Daniel in the Old Testament offers a powerful blueprint for doing just that.

• He was a man who faced an impossible situation, yet he didn't just survive; he emerged stronger.

• Life teaches us that adversity exposes our ingrained habits.

• When Daniel faced one of the deepest, darkest valleys of his life, what did Daniel do?

DAINEL PATTERNS SLIDE

• Daniel didn’t “rise to the occasion”; he returned to his patterns—and God met him there.

• Daniel isn’t a teenager anymore—he’s an older man serving under a new administration.

• Darius sets 120 satraps over the empire and puts three administrators over them; Daniel outshines them all.

• Jealous colleagues can’t find any corruption, so they weaponize his faith:“Make prayer illegal—except to the king—for 30 days.”

• It’s political maneuvering with teeth.

• The law of the Medes and Persians can’t be revoked.

• This isn’t a bad day at the office; it’s a den full of lions with a stone waiting to be rolled over the opening.

• This message is titled “Thriving Through the Valleys: Prayer and Perseverance.”

• Because thriving isn’t about escaping hardship—it’s about encountering God in the midst of it.

• And if you’ve been walking through a valley lately, this message is for you.

• Let’s see what Daniel does in the midst of the oncoming valley.

• If you’re in a valley, you are not disqualified from thriving; you are perfectly positioned to discover the faithfulness of God.

• Let’s turn to Daniel 6 and watch how prayer and perseverance carry a servant of God through the night—and how they can carry you, too.

• We will begin with verses 1-5.

Daniel 6:1–5 NET 2nd ed.

1 It seemed like a good idea to Darius to appoint over the kingdom 120 satraps who would be in charge of the entire kingdom.

2 Over them would be three supervisors, one of whom was Daniel. These satraps were accountable to them, so that the king’s interests might not incur damage.

3 Now this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the other supervisors and the satraps, for he had an extraordinary spirit. In fact, the king intended to appoint him over the entire kingdom.

4 Consequently the supervisors and satraps were trying to find some pretext against Daniel in connection with administrative matters. But they were unable to find any such damaging evidence because he was trustworthy and guilty of no negligence or corruption.

5 So these men concluded, “We won’t find any pretext against this man Daniel unless it is in connection with the law of his God.”

SERMON

MAIN POINT 1 SLIDE

I. Daniel, the man of faith.

• In the opening verses of Daniel 6, we find Daniel in a position of influence and favor, even in a foreign kingdom.

• Darius the Mede is setting up a new administrative structure for the empire, and Daniel is appointed as one of three administrators over 120 satraps.

• Moreover, Daniel distinguishes himself among the other administrators due to his exceptional qualities, prompting the king to consider appointing him over the entire kingdom.

• This is remarkable when you consider Daniel's background.

• He is a Jewish exile, a foreigner, living in a pagan land, yet his faithfulness, work ethic, and integrity elevate him above his peers.

• His excellence is not rooted in political ambition but in spiritual devotion.

• He doesn’t compromise his convictions for the sake of advancement.

• Daniel thrives because he brings the same faithfulness to his job as he does to his walk with God.

• Verse 3 says, “Daniel distinguished himself...because an excellent spirit was in him.”

• His faith wasn’t just private—it shaped his public life.

• We're told that faith is a private matter and that it should not be put out in the public arena.