The Children's Chapel Award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids. ~ A Ministry of The Missing Link, Inc. ~ Overnight with the Lions by Jennifer Leigh Edwards Sally was a little girl who was always very sick. She had a sore throat almost all the time. The doctor said if they removed her tonsils she would feel much better. She had never been to a hospital and it made her really scared to even think about it. To make matters worse, her friends added to her fears by telling her how horrible hospitals and operations can be. The doctor assured her that she would be asleep during the whole procedure but she wondered if she'd wake up too soon. Sometimes she even worried about dying. Sally's mom saw her crying one day and asked her what was wrong. "I don't want to go to the hospital," she whispered through her hoarse throat. "It will be okay, sweetheart," her mother comforted. "In fact, I had the same thing when I was your age," she continued. "You did?" Sally questioned. "I surely did!" her mom replied. "The nurses were kind and even gave me Popsicles. It wasn't so bad, and I've felt a lot better since then." "Were you as scared as I am?" Sally asked. "Yes, until my mommy told me to trust in God," Mom replied. "What do you mean 'trust in God'?" Sally questioned. "Well, my mommy helped me pray and ask God to help me not be so scared; and you know what? He did! When I trusted God to be with me in the hospital, He helped me not to worry about how much it would hurt." "Wow! Can we try that?" Sally asked excitedly. "We surely can!" Mom replied. They prayed together; then Sally asked a few more questions. Finally she got ready for bed. She slept very well that night. The next day, she said, "You know, Mommy, God helped me not to worry so much." "Good! Doesn't it make you feel better when you trust God to help you and to be with you?" Mom asked with a smile. "It surely does!" Sally replied. A few days later Sally had the operation, and everything went well. The nurses were kind and gave her Popsicles just like her mom had said. Her friends came to visit her in the hospital and brought get-well cards and stuffed animals so she wouldn't feel so lonely. Before she knew it, she was packing up all those cards and gifts and leaving the hospital. Sally understood that she didn't have to worry so much, because she remembered that God was with her and she trusted Him. Long ago, the king of Babylon died and a new king, Darius, became ruler. He let 120 princes rule over the country; and appointed three men over them. Daniel was one of those men. King Darius liked Daniel so much, that he wanted to make him the next ruler of Persia when he died. But . . . . . . the other leaders didn't like that plan. They were angry and jealous so they plotted and schemed against Daniel. They watched him every day, all day long, hoping they could see Daniel do something inappropriate so they could report him to the king. Day after day, week after week, they tried to find fault with Daniel; however, they could find nothing wrong with him. He obeyed all the laws of the land, and all of God's laws. He seemed to be perfect in every way. They finally gave up and said among themselves, "If we are going to succeed in finding fault with Daniel, we must make a new law that defiles a law of his God." Since they had watched Daniel so carefully for such a long time, it didn't take much thinking for them to come up with a "perfect" plan. The wrote a brand new law that said for the next 30 days, any person found praying to anyone or anything except King Darius would be thrown into a den of HUNGRY lions. Then they took their new law to the king for his approval. King Darius had no idea that his favorite prince, Daniel, prayed to God three times every single day and that the other princes were trying to lay a trap to get him into trouble. When King Darius read the new law that was presented to him, he thought it was a pretty good idea. He also wanted to make his princes happy so that they would continue to do his wishes. Without giving it any more thought, he immediately signed the new law and sealed it with his special ring, meaning that the law could never be broken or changed. Of course, this put Daniel into quite a predicament. As the head prince, obviously he was expected to obey ALL the laws of the land. On the other hand, he knew he could not displease God. Even though he knew of the new law, he went to his upstairs window looking toward Jerusalem, and prayed to God just as he had done all of his life. Three times a day, every day, he went to that window and prayed to God. The princes, knowing Daniel's habits, had been keeping a close eye on him. They noticed that Daniel was still praying to God, and they went directly to King Darius. "Look, Daniel does not obey your law!" they exclaimed. "He continues to pray to his God." When King Darius heard that news, he was quite upset because he favored Daniel. He didn't want to harm Daniel and tried to find a way to help him, but he could not because the law was set and could not be changed. At sundown King Darius reluctantly gave the order to have Daniel thrown into the lions' den. King Darius called down to Daniel: "May your God rescue you!" He was hoping against all hope that Daniel's God WOULD rescue him. Then several men rolled a large stone over the opening. Using his signet ring and the signet rings of his highest officials, he sealed it, that no one would open it. King Darius sadly returned to his palace. He went to bed without eating dinner or having any sort of entertainment because he was worried about Daniel. He couldn't sleep all night. He tossed and turned and worried. He wondered if there was any possibility at all that Daniel might have survived the night. Finally the long night was over and the stars began to disappear. At the crack of dawn, King Darius arose and hurried to the den of HUNGRY lions. He ordered his men to open it and he called out, "Daniel! Has your God saved you?" Daniel answered back, "O King, live forever! God has sent an angel to close the mouths of the HUNGRY lions. They haven't hurt me. God has found favor with me because I am innocent in his eyes. Neither have I done any wrong to you." King Darius was overjoyed to hear Daniel's voice and immediately ordered his men to pull Daniel out of the den. He looked Daniel over carefully, amazed that the lions had not harmed him in any way. The king then commanded that those princes who had schemed against Daniel to be thrown into the den of HUNGRY lions. King Darius was so thankful that Daniel was safe, that he wrote a proclamation to all the people in his entire kingdom, that they should listen to God because He is the true Living God, and they should not pray or bow down to any other god or person, including himself. THINK! 1. What made King Darius like Daniel so much? 2. What made the other princes hate Daniel? 3. What scheme did the princes devise to cause trouble for Daniel? 4. Did Daniel change his godly habits in order to save his own life? 5. How did God protect Daniel? 6. What proclamation did King Darius make when he discovered Daniel was alive? REMEMBER! Always trust in God and don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe. A VERSE TO LEARN "My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me" (Daniel 6:22). ALTERNATIVE VERSES TO LEARN "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16). "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word" (Acts 4:29). PRACTICAL APPLICATION Can you think of reasons why you ought not to be ashamed of believing in God? How can you become bold for God as Daniel was? [After discussion:] God is almighty and all-knowing and loves you very, very much. He can help you in every situation. That is nothing to be ashamed of. We can become bold for Him by praying to God to help us become strong in our faith. Also, the more we read the Bible and spend time with God, the stronger our faith becomes.  LET'S PRAY Dog and boy praying **************************************************** Dear God, thank You for being with me through all situations. Please help me to remember to trust in You and give me the courage to stand up for what is right. In Jesus' Name. Amen. **************************************************** CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE? Daniel 6 Coloring Daniel in the Lions' Den with Memory Verse Online coloring Page - Daniel in the Lion's Den Print Out coloring Page - Daniel in the Lion's Den Coloring Page -Daniel in the Lion's Den Activities Cut, color, and Scramble Activity Daniel Crossword Puzzle Daniel Wordsearch Puzzle Maze Bible Heroes Daniel Colour the Bible: Book 2, Ezra - Daniel Children's Coloring Books Crafts Paper Bag Lion Puppet Circle Lion Craft Lion Paper Plate Craft Activities Daniel Bookmark Activity Books for Children Songs Daniel Was a Man of Prayer (with sheet music) Dare to be a Daniel Daniel & the Lions - Donut Man Children's Music Books Thrown to the Lions Daniel in the Lions' Den Lions and Daniel - Read and Listen Daniel - Read and Listen Daniel (Lift and Look series) Daniel and the Lions (A Chunky Book) Daniel and the Lions (The Beginner's BibleĻ) Daniel and the Lions (Happy Day Books Bible Stories) Daniel and the Tattletales Daniel En El Foso De Los Leones (Arch Books) Daniel in the Dangerous Den And Paul And Silas And the Prison Prayer Lion Misses Breakfast: Daniel and the Lions Little Lion And Daniel (Snufflehead Puppet) The Super Short Amazing Story of Daniel in the Lions' Den CDs and Videos Veggie Tales: Where's God When I'm Scared? Songtime Kids/New Favorites (4 CD) Bible Animated Classics/Daniel Greatest Heroes & Legends/Daniel & Lions Den Bible Animated Classics/Daniel Grandes Heroes y Leyendas de la Biblia: Den Daniel y el Cubil del Leon Greatest Heroes & Legends/Daniel & Lions Den Resources for Parents and Teachers Power Point Presentations of Various Bible Stories Educational Patterns for Children's Ministry Lion Crafts and coloring Pages Daniel Crafts Children's Sermon - Daniel in the Lion's Den Variety of Resources for Daniel in the Lion's Den Flannel Graph Story Sets to Purchase Bible Story Craft Kits to Purchase Pictures Courtesy of Free Bible Images ----------------------------------------------------------------- BIBLE STORY ARCHIVE http://childrenschapel.org/bibstory2.html REPORT A BROKEN LINK The Children\'s Chapel award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids ----------------------------------------------------------------- Free Bible Stories! 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