BIBLE VERSES: Daniel 6:4-27 (Tells the story of Daniel being cast into the Lion's Den.)
THEME: Faith and trusting in the Lord to protect us from danger.
PROMPTS: Use pictures or coloring pages with lions and Daniel as he stands amoung the animals without being harmed.
MESSAGE:
Have you ever been to the zoo? Why they have all kinds of animals. You can see just about any kind of critter there is.
One of my favorites is the kangaroo. They hop around and then the mommies have a pouch to carry their baby in and when the Joey, that's what you call a baby kangroo, peeks out they are so cute. (mimic a Joey peaking out)
Now zoos also got some big old lions and tigers. Did you ever see lions in a den? Did the zoo keepers let you go in with the lions and pet them? Of course not. The lions are fierce and might hurt you.
Today I want to tell you a story in the Bible about a man named Daniel. One time he had to spend a whole night in a lion's den!
Back in Bible times, Daniel had an important job in the Kingdom of Darius because he was a faithful hard worker. This made other princes jealous of Daniel. The only way they could find him at fault was to make a law that was against his religious beliefs. The princes tricked the king and got him to pass a law that said no one could ask a petitition of God or man, except to the king for 30 days.
Daniel was a man of prayer. He had a habit to pray to God 3 times a day. Daniel knew of the law, but he continued to pray each day as he always did. King Darius liked Daniel, but when the princes told him that Daniel had broken the law, the king had to punish Daniel. He realized too late that the princes had tricked him into passing such a law.
The king ordered that Daniel be cast into a den of lions. The king hoped that Daniel's God would deliver him. A large stone was placed over the den of lions and sealed. The king was so worried about Daniel that he couldn't sleep that night. The first thing the next morning, the king went to see if Daniel had been killed. He cried out to see if Daniel was alive and Daniel answered him, "My God haith sent his angel, and hath shut the lion's mouths, that they have not hurt me."
The king was overjoyed and had Daniel pulled out of the lion's den. He then brought the men who had accused Daniel and threw them in the den of lions, along with their families. The lions tore them to pieces before they even hit the ground.
Here in the United States, we are blessed to have great religious freedom. We are free to pray to God at any time and any place without breaking the law. Many people in the world still do not have this basic freedom. We can thank Jesus that we have this freedom.
Now here is a little poem to help you remember Daniel in the lion's den:
Daniel In the Den
Lions, tigers, and bears
They will never give me a scare
My God keeps me safe
Whatever the place
Lions, tigers, and bears