Daniel and the Lions

Daniel 6:1-23

Our story comes from the Bible. It is found in the part of the Bible called 1 Samuel (we say "First Samuel"). It is the first of two books in the Bible named after Samuel.

We begin with a man named Daniel. Daniel loved God and prayed to God every day! Daniel knew that he could always trust God.


Now, Daniel worked for the king. King Darius liked Daniel because Daniel was wise and worked VERY hard. The king liked Daniel so much that he wanted to put him in charge of everything.


But this made some other people very jealous and angry. These angry people did NOT want the king to put Daniel in charge of everything, so they thought of a way to get Daniel in trouble.


The angry people knew Daniel prayed to God every day. So, they decided to trick the king into making a new rule. 


The new rule said that no one could pray to God. They could only pray to King Darius. And if anyone broke this new rule, they would be thrown into a den of hungry lions! OH MY!


Now the new rule said that people couldn’t pray to anyone but the king. But Daniel only prayed to God! Do you think the new rule made Daniel stop praying to God?


No way! Daniel was brave. He knew he could be STRONG and COURAGEOUS. Because Daniel trusted God. So, Daniel prayed to God every day, just as he always did.


When the angry people saw Daniel praying to God, they ran off to tell the king! 


“King Darius,” they said, “Daniel was praying to God and not to you. Throw him in the lions’ den!”


The king was very sad. He didn’t want to throw Daniel in the lions’ den, but he had to follow his new rule. So, Daniel had to go to the lions’ den. Daniel was brave because he knew he could trust God. King Darius said to Daniel, “I hope the God you pray to every day saves you from the lions!”


All night long, the king worried about Daniel. Then, finally, in the morning, the king ran to the lions’ den. He called out, “Daniel! Did the God you pray to every day save you from the lions?”


Daniel answered, “Yes, King! God sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions. I’m not hurt at all.” YAY GOD!


The king was SO happy that he wrote a new rule saying that everyone should pray to the one true God. Daniel trusted God, and God helped Daniel be brave. God can help you be brave, too! Who can help you be brave? God can help you be brave!






Bible Paraphrase: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid . . . for the Lord your God goes with you.” —Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV

Text Truth: I can be brave and trust God.



Family Devotional

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
—Daniel 6:1-19-22

Daniel trusted God and did something very brave in our Bible story. What brave thing did Daniel do? Daniel prayed to God, as he had always prayed, even though he might get thrown in a hole with the lions. Who helped Daniel be brave? Daniel trusted God, and God helped Daniel be brave! When we trust God, God can help us be brave, too!

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid . . . for the Lord your God goes with you.”
—Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV

Daniel trusted God and prayed to God as he had always done. We can trust and pray to God too. God loves it when we talk to Him! So, with your family, take a piece of paper and make a list of things you want to tell God. And remember to print the name of each family member next to the thing they list.

Pray with your family. Allow any family members to pray if they wish. In your own words, say, “Dear God, thank You for loving (name each family member). We know we can trust You because You love us so much. Help us remember that we can always talk to You about anything like (read the list your family made). You’re the best, God, and we love You very much. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

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Story illustrations are the copyright of Sweet Publishing and licensed by FreeBibleimages (http://freebibleimages.org) for free download under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike 3.0 unported licence.
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