Daniel in the Lions' Den

Daniel was a Jewish man who served faithfully as a top official in Babylon. He was so trusted and excellent in his work that the king, Darius, planned to put him in charge of the whole kingdom. This made the other officials jealous. They plotted against Daniel and found only one weakness: his prayer life.

They tricked Darius into signing a law that for thirty days, no one could pray to anyone except the king — punishable by being thrown into a den of lions. Daniel heard about the new law. He went home, opened his window toward Jerusalem, and prayed to God three times that day — just as he always did. He was caught immediately and brought before the king. Even Darius was heartbroken, but the law could not be changed.

Daniel was thrown into the lions' den. The king could not sleep all night and ran to the den at dawn. He called out anxiously: "Daniel! Has your God been able to rescue you?" Daniel's voice came back strong and clear: "My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions!" Daniel came out without a scratch. The men who had plotted against him were thrown in instead. This story shows us that faithfulness to God, even at great risk, is never forgotten by Him.