Daniel in the Lion's Den

When Darius, the king of Babylon, decreed that no one should pray to anyone but him for 30 days, Daniel, a man of God and faithful to His word, continued to pray to God. Now, some evil people noticed him praying to God, and they plotted against Daniel. They brought up Daniel’s actions to the king, who was grieved–he loved Daniel, but saw no recourse but to punish him for disobeying the new law. So, Darius had Daniel thrown to the lions.

Darius, standing at the top of the pit, looked down at Daniel with pity in his eyes. He said, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

Darius spent the rest of the night anxious and restless. Upon daybreak, he returned to the lion’s pit, calling, “Daniel, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

Lo and behold, the king peeked over the edge and saw his servant, Daniel, unharmed. Daniel replied, “They have not hurt me–I was found innocent in God’s sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

Overjoyed, the king had Daniel lifted from the pit, and the false accusers thrown in with the lions, instead. As soon as they fell down, the lions pounced on and crushed them.

The story of Daniel is a popular one that kids enjoy learning. It reveals the good and just nature of God. This story, along with the activities below, will help children learn to trust God to accomplish His purposes, even when things don’t go the way we want.