Daniel and the Lions
Daniel keeps praying even when it is against the rules, and spends a very quiet night with lions.
Read aloud in about five minutes.
“My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.”
Daniel 6:22
- Daniel does his job honestly
- Jealous officials look for a trap
A new rule
Daniel worked for the king and did his job so well that other officials became jealous. They could not find anything he had done wrong, so they went looking for something they could turn against him.
They noticed Daniel prayed three times a day, every day. So they persuaded the king to sign a rule: for thirty days, nobody may pray to anyone but the king.
- A rule forbids praying
- Daniel prays anyway, openly
Daniel keeps his window open
Daniel heard about the rule. Then he went home, opened his window as he always did, and prayed as he always did. He did not hide it and he did not make a show of it.
The officials were watching, and they reported him. The king was upset — he liked Daniel — but a rule was a rule, and Daniel was put in a den of lions for the night.
- He spends a night with lions
- The king finds him unharmed
Morning
The king barely slept. At first light he hurried to the den and called out, hoping.
Daniel answered. The lions had not touched him. He came up unharmed, and the king made a new rule — that everyone should respect the God who had kept Daniel safe.
Something to print
A colouring page, a cut-and-stick craft and six talking questions come with this story.