Daniel was a young man who had been brought far from his home in Israel to serve in the great kingdom of Babylon. He was wise, honest, and hardworking, and the king trusted him completely.
King Darius liked Daniel so much that he planned to put him in charge of the whole kingdom. This made the other officials very jealous. They watched Daniel carefully, looking for something — anything — to use against him.
But Daniel was trustworthy. He never took a bribe or cut corners. They could find nothing wrong with him at all.
"We will never find a way to accuse Daniel," they said to each other, "unless we find something connected to his God."
The jealous officials went to the king with a clever plan. "O King Darius, live forever!" they said. "We all agree that you should make a new law: for thirty days, no one may pray to any god or any person except to you, O King. Anyone who disobeys shall be thrown into the lions' den."
King Darius was flattered. He signed the law.
Daniel heard about the new law, but he did not change a single thing about his day. He went home, opened the windows of his upstairs room — the windows that faced toward Jerusalem — and prayed to God three times, just as he always did.
The jealous officials were watching. They hurried to the king.
"Daniel is disobeying your law! He prays to his God three times every day."
The king was horrified. He had not thought about Daniel when he signed the law, and now he spent the whole day trying to find a way to save him. But the law of the Medes and Persians could never be changed — not even by the king.
As evening came, the king had no choice. Daniel was brought to the lions' den — a deep pit filled with lions that had not been fed.
King Darius looked at Daniel with sad, troubled eyes. "May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you," he said quietly.
A large stone was rolled over the opening. The king went back to his palace. He could not eat. He would not listen to music. He could not sleep. All through the long, dark night he lay awake, hoping.
At the very first light of dawn, the king ran to the lions' den.
"Daniel!" he called out, his voice cracking. "Daniel, servant of the living God — has your God been able to rescue you from the lions?"
And then — a voice! Calm and clear, rising up from the dark pit below.
"O King, live forever! My God sent His angel, and the angel shut the lions' mouths. They have not hurt me at all, because I was found innocent before God. And I have done nothing wrong to you, O King."
The king was overjoyed. Daniel was lifted out of the den without a single scratch on him. Then the king wrote a letter to people everywhere in his kingdom:
"In every part of my kingdom, people must respect and honour the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever. He rescues and He saves — He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."
What we learn from this story
When we keep our eyes on God and stay faithful to Him — even when it is frightening — He is able to protect us in ways we never imagined. Prayer is worth more than any law.
Putting the lesson into practice
Daniel prayed three times every day, no matter what. Tonight, add a prayer to your bedtime routine. Tell God about one thing that worries you, and trust Him with it — just like Daniel did.
Find this story in the Bible
Daniel 6