Sunday School Lesson: Daniel in the Lions Den

ministry-to-children.com/daniel-in-the-lions-den

Kelly Henderson January 30,

2010

This Bible lesson is based on Daniel 6 where Daniel is thrown into a den of lions because he
continued to pray to God even after his enemies tricked Darius to make a law that no one
could pray to anyone but him or be punished. This lesson was prepared for an older
elementary Sunday School class. It can be used for upper elementary ages and Children’s
Church. With simplification it can be used for preschool classes. At the end of the lesson
you will find additional resources to help you plan for you class’s needs.

Bible Story: Daniel in the Lion’s Den

Scripture: Daniel 6
Target Age Group: Age 9 – 12 (U.S. 3rd – 6th Grade)
Learning Context: Sunday School

Lesson Objective(s): Students will learn:

Godly character allows others to see Jesus more clearly.

Character has consequences
Godly character requires discipline.

Memory Verse: 1 Peter 2:12 “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they
accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He
visits us.”

Optional: If you adapt this lesson for younger children you could use our free Daniel
coloring page. We also have a craft / activity for Daniel in the Lion’s Den .

Teacher Preparation before students arrive: Put out activities that have been planned for
students to engage in as they wait for the others to arrive. Write Memory Verse on the
board. Make 2 columns and title the first column Character and the Second Consequences.
Then place Daniel and Daniel’s enemies next to the columns.

Example:

Character Consequences

Daniel

Daniel’s Enemies
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Darius

Bible Lesson: Daniel in the Lions Den

This lesson is just a guide to teach this lesson. God is always faithful to answer prayer for insight
to the specific needs of the students of your class. He will show you the truths that you need to
emphasize and the style to teach the lesson in.

Begin lesson time with reciting the memory verse together. Explain pagans (unbelievers,
people not following Christ).

Ask the students: What is character? Allow the students to respond. (A person, esp. with
reference to behavior or personality) What are some character traits that people can have?
(Honest, liar, lazy, hard worker, encourager, discourager, loyal, disloyal, etc.) Character traits
can be positive and they can be negative. Character also has consequences. If you are
honest, people will trust you. If you are lazy, you won’t get good grades that come from
studying. Godly character requires discipline. We must follow God every day and obey His
commands to have Godly character.

Our verse tells us how important it is that if we are followers of Christ we must live lives with
godly character. Those who don’t believe in God and don’t follow Christ are always looking
for a reason not to believe and they look at His followers to find some character flaw to
be an excuse not to believe. We are commanded to be lights in this world so that we can
point others to God. Matthew 5:16 If we are known by our bad character others have a
difficult time seeing how great God is.

We are going to get into our Bible study this morning and as we learn about the people in
the story we will record the character of the people and the consequences of that character.
(Make sure each student has a copy of the Bible so they can follow along as you teach the
lesson.)

Let’s turn in our Bibles to Daniel 6.

Review last week’s lesson on the Writing on the Wall.

Darius became king when he and his armies overcame Belshazzar and entered Babylon
under the walls. As the ruler of this new territory, Darius chose 120 satraps or governors to
have authority over the people living in the different territories. The 120 were under the
leadership of 3 vice presidents that the king chose. Have a volunteer read Daniel 6:3. What
character trait does Daniel have? (Write it in Daniel’s column) As one of the 3 vice
presidents, Daniel had a very good reputation before King Darius. Because of his excellent
reputation the king was planning to promote him and set him over the entire kingdom.

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The 2 other vice presidents did not like the idea that the King was planning to make Daniel
ruler over the entire kingdom. Have volunteer read Daniel 6:4a. What kind of character did
these other vice presidents have? Write the character traits under Daniel’s enemies’ column.
They were jealous because the king thought Daniel was an excellent man with an
exceptional reputation. They didn’t want him promoted as ruler over the entire kingdom.

A term that came to mind that could describe these men’s character is that they had evil
eyes. They were looking hard for something wrong with Daniel instead of looking out for his
best interest. This term is found in the Bible in Isaiah 29:20. The only way they could keep
Daniel from looking good in the eyes of the king was to look for something that Daniel was
doing wrong in his work. Surely they could find a time when he was dishonest in his job or
took money that didn’t belong to him. Maybe they could catch him taking a nap at his desk
when he was supposed to be working. They searched and searched for something bad to
say about Daniel but couldn’t find anything wrong. Have volunteer read Daniel 6:4b. What
did these men learn about Daniel? Write the traits in under Daniel. In everything Daniel was
found trustworthy and faithful.

Can others say that about us? Are you trustworthy? Can people believe what you say and
when you do something do you do it to the best of your ability? If you are a Christian you
can be trustworthy and faithful with God’s help by the power of His Holy Spirit that lives in
your heart.

It frustrated the 2 vice presidents that they could not find anything wrong with Daniel’s
behavior. They still wanted to make him look bad to the king so they thought about it and
realized that the only way they could make Daniel look bad is if they made him break God’s
laws. They knew that Daniel was faithful to his God and the only way he could do something
wrong was if he sinned against God.

The two vice presidents gathered many of the satraps that were serving in the kingdom and
told them their plan to bring Daniel down. They wanted so desperately to get Daniel in
trouble that they began to negatively influence the satraps as well. (Bad company corrupts
good character. 1 Corinthians 15:33.) When they came up with their plan and got the crowd
of people pumped up about their plan they took it to the King Darius.

Imagine being King Darius on the day his appointed leaders show up before him. They
stood before him and spoke flattering words, they said, “O King Darius, live forever! We have
gotten together and have agreed that we think that you should make a law that for the next
thirty days no one should pray to any other god except to you. If anyone breaks your law
the punishment will be thrown into the lions’ den.”

Let’s look at Darius’ character. At this part of the story his character is missing something.
He lacks something. Can anyone name what Darius didn’t seem to have at this moment?
Darius lacked discernment/wisdom. Discernment is the ability to have good judgment or
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wisdom. If Darius had discernment he would have seen through the deception of this plan.
He didn’t think about the consequences of this unchangeable law.

The king was flattered. Here was a group of his leaders suggesting that all the people only
pray to him for the next thirty days. He was being influenced to think he was god and was
worthy of others’ praise and worship. It sounded like a good idea to him because he got lost
in his own pride and thinking how wonderful it would be to be praised by the people of his
kingdom. He wrote out the law and signed and sealed the law making the law
unchangeable. What was written must take place and no one could change the king’s law.

The vice presidents’ character had a negative influence on the satraps. Next they moved
their negative influence to King Darius. Their actions were causing others to sin against God
and trying to hurt Daniel in the process.

Have volunteer read Daniel 6:10. When Daniel heard that the law was written and signed by
the king he went home and did what he always did. He opened his window that was facing
in the direction of Jerusalem a place he lived with God’s people many years before. He got
on his knees and began to pray and asked God for help.

Ask the students: what character trait do you see in Daniel when after hearing that he could
be in danger for praying, still prays before God? (Faithful, courage) Daniel was faithful to
God and did not let anything keep him from praying and talking to God.

As Daniel is praying with his window open, his enemies came to his house and found him
praying to his God. They must have been so excited that they finally caught Daniel doing
something wrong. They found so much satisfaction that they had tricked the king so they
could catch Daniel breaking a law. They rushed back to King Darius and said, “Daniel, who is
one of the exiles (someone who was taken from their own land) from Judah pays no
attention to you, O King or to the law you put into writing. He still prays three times a day to
his God.

Daniel’s enemies were happy but Darius was very troubled. He knew Daniel was a faithful
man with an excellent spirit. He must have wanted to kick himself for falling for the trick of
making this crazy law that people could only pray to him. He tried very hard to keep Daniel
from being punished because he broke this law. He worked hard until the day was over
trying to rescue Daniel from his punishment.

The enemies came to the king and reminded him that he could not break his own law and
that Daniel was to be punished in the lion’s den.

This event made me think of how God is our great King. His laws are always right and He
doesn’t make hasty decisions that He doesn’t know the outcome. God’s law says sin must
be punished by death. King Darius didn’t use wisdom when he made his law. Daniel’s
enemies who were desperate to find a way to find something wrong with him heavily
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influenced him. He made a mistake and could not change his law. Because of his lack of
discernment Daniel now was being placed in a dangerous situation. God is just and
righteous and makes only wise decisions and we can trust that His laws are for our best and
will help us to live a life that pleases Him.

Knowing that he had no other choice, Darius ordered Daniel to be thrown into the lions’
den. As Daniel was being taken to the den the king said, “May your God, whom you serve
continually, rescue you!”

As Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den the king had a stone placed over the mouth of the
den and sealed it with his signet ring. Does this make you think of anything from the New
Testament? (Allow them to answer if they know. Matthew 27:66 Jesus’ tomb was sealed with
a signet ring.) Why was a seal put on the stone? Verse 17 says so that Daniel’s situation
could not be changed. No one would be able to roll away the stone and take him out or
worse try to kill him on their own.

Darius returned to his palace and spent the entire night without eating or having any kind of
entertainment. If we could see him in his room, what do you think he might have been
doing? Do you think he may have paced the floors worrying about Daniel’s life? Is it possible
that he prayed to Daniel’s God and asked him to rescue Daniel? We don’t know exactly what
he did we just know that it must have been a long night for Darius.

As soon as it was daylight Darius ran to the lions’ den. When he got to the den he called out
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?”

What a relief it was for Darius to hear Daniel say, “O king live forever! My God sent His
angels 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, O king.”

Daniel had been protected because he was faithful to God and because he had placed his
trust in Him. God sees all that we do and He knows when we are treated unfairly. Continue
to be faithful and trust Him to protect you and to help you in your difficulty. (Write
under Consequences: A consequence to faithfulness to God is having His protection.) It
takes daily discipline to be faithful to God. We must spend time each day praying to Him
and reading His Word if we are going to be strong in our faith like Daniel was.

The king was overjoyed that Daniel was alive! He gave orders to lift Daniel up out of the den.
There wasn’t a bite mark or a scratch found on his body because he had trusted in his God.

The king commanded that Daniel’s enemies who falsely accused him were to be thrown into
the lions’ den along with their wives and children. Before they reached the floor of the lions’
den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. (Consequence for
deceitfulness is punishment.)
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King Darius wrote a new law that said that everyone in his kingdom must honor and respect
Daniel’s God. King Darius saw God’s power in Daniel’s godly life and His protection from the
hungry lions. Darius praised the living God before the people.

Daniel was successful during the reign of Darius and the next king, Cyrus. God had blessed
Daniel’s life because he was a faithful follower of Him.

Our character influences and is powerful to those around us. We see in this story the
negative impact the enemies had on those around them. Anyone who joined in their plan
was destroyed by the lions along with their own wives and children.

Sin negatively affects all of us. It is like a disease that is passed on to all of us. If we choose to
sin our sin affects those around us. Sin leads to death. When we choose to let sin grow in
our life we will eventually suffer consequences of that sin. A simple example of this would
be smoking. When a person smokes they are misusing their bodies. Over time the effects of
smoking harm the person’s body and can cause sickness that leads to death. The choice to
take that first puff on a cigarette can lead to death. When someone smokes in a room of
others who are not smoking the smoke affects everyone in the room. The non smokers
were not choosing to breathe in the cigarette smoke but because the smoker chose to
smoke the smoke gets into the lungs of the others. It also causes the non-smokers’ clothes
to smell like cigarette smoke. This is just an example of how our sin affects others.

Daniel had a positive impact on Darius. Because of his good reputation and faithfulness to
God he gained favor in Darius’ sight. Darius’ came to know that God is living and powerful
through Daniel’s excellent life.

How is your character influencing others around you? Are others learning what it means to
be a Christian by the way you live your life or are they learning how to get in trouble at
school or at home because of your actions and attitudes?

If you are trying to be a good influence it is important that you ask God to show you if you
have any habits or attitudes that might not be a good example to those who are watching
you.

If you are not a Christian it is impossible to ever live a life like Daniel. No man has the power
in him/herself to live a life pleasing to God. All the good things we do are like filthy rags to
God. Isaiah 64:6 In our own flesh (without Jesus’ help) there is no good thing. Romans 7:18
The only way we can be a godly influence in this world is to come to God and believe that
Jesus is the Son of God who takes away the sins of the world by His death on the cross. God
the King says that the punishment for breaking His laws is death. The only way you or I can
be rescued from that punishment is through faith in Jesus Christ. He died in our place so we

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don’t have to die. When you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in your heart. He
helps you by convicting you of sin, teaching you how to understand the Bible and helping
you to be a godly influence in the lives of those around you.

Let’s choose to live good lives among others this week so we can be a light for Jesus!

Close in prayer.

Questions: Choose a review game that would be fun for your students to play as they
answer questions.

1. Who is Darius?
2. How many Satraps did Darius have in his kingdom?
3. Who was one of the vice presidents over the satraps?
4. Why were the 2 vice presidents jealous of Daniel?
5. Why were they looking for something that Daniel had done wrong in his life?
6. How did they plan to get Daniel in trouble before the king?
7. Why was Darius upset when they told him about Daniel praying?
8. Who did Darius want to protect Daniel in the lions’ den?
9. Why was Daniel safe in the lions’ den?
10. What happened to Daniel’s enemies?
11. What can you do this week that will be a positive influence in another person’s life?

Closing Activity:

While waiting for parents to pick up students play the Bible Sword Drill Game. Have an
index card of the scriptures that were included in this lesson. Demonstrate what the
students are to do. When the teacher says “Swords Up” hold the Bible with the binding in
the palm of your hand. The Scripture reference will be written on the board and spoken
aloud. Students wait til teacher says “Charge!” Before trying to find the passage. The
student who finds the passage stands up. To allow the other students an opportunity to
find the passage too note the student who stood first and when the passage is found allow
the student who found it first to read. Sometimes students don’t want to be the first to find
it because they don’t like to read out loud. Encourage everyone to participate and if they
don’t want to read aloud they can choose a friend to read the passage. The goal of this
game is to help students familiarize themselves with God’s Word. (You may also want to do
this to ‘warm’ the students up before the Bible lesson. After going over the memory verse
you could have a Sword drill with similar verses to drive home the point of the memory
verse. Matthew 5:16, Philippians, 2:15, Titus 2:7 (have student read verse 8 as well), 1 Peter
3:16, Daniel 12:3, 1 Timothy 4:12)

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Daniel Sticks with God (Daniel 6:1-28) Sunday School Lesson
ministry-to-children.com/daniel-sticks-with-god

Brittany Putman August 16,

2015

Daniel finds himself in a difficult position in Daniel 6. He knows that God deserves all of his
praise, but he also knows that he has to obey King Darius. So when King Darius makes a
law that says everyone must pray only to him, Daniel must choose between obeying God
and obeying the King. It may have been easier for Daniel to just hide his faith for a while,
but he choose to obey God anyway. Daniel stuck with God and whenever it seemed like he
would be devoured by lions God saved him. Through this lesson children will learn to stick
with God because he will take care of them.

Lesson Title: Daniel sticks with God

Bible Reference: Daniel 6, Proverbs 3:5-6

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Target Age Group: Preschool

Learning Context: Sunday School

Target Time Frame: 1 hour

Learning Aim: When I follow God, He leads me on the right path.

Optional Coloring Page Activities: Daniel and the Lion’s Den coloring pages, Story of
Daniel and the Lions (pictured above), cartoon of Daniel in the Lion’s Den

Opening-The Right Path

Before Class: Tape three lines on the floor that the class will walk like a balance beam. Make
one line straight and the other two curvy and crooked.

Let the class take turns walking on the three lines. Once everyone has had a turn have the
class sit down and get ready for the bible lesson.

Say, Which path was the easiest to take? Allow responses. The straight path was probably the
easiest for most of you. In the Bible there is a verse that says, “Trust in the Lord with all your
heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make
your paths straight.” That verse is Proverbs 3:5-6. It means that when we stick close to God he
will guide us to the right path for our life, like the right way to live. Today we are going to learn
about a man named Daniel. When things got tough for Daniel he decided to stay with God. God
rewarded his faithfulness in a big way.

A Big Choice

Daniel 6:1-9

No materials needed for this part of the lesson.

Say, A long time ago there was a king named Darius. He was a very powerful King so he
appointed 120 leaders and 3 administrators to help him rule his kingdom. One of the
administrators was named Daniel. Daniel was Darius’ friend and a very good leader. He was a
Christian and loved the Lord very, very much. Darius decided to make Daniel be the leader over
everyone else and this made the other men jealous. The men tried to find something wrong with
Daniel so that they could tattle on him to King Darius but they couldn’t find anything wrong with
him. One thing that they noticed was that Daniel loved God more than anything so they decided
to use that against him. So the men made a plan. And it wasn’t a very nice plan. They went to
King Darius and said, “May King Darius live forever! You are such a good king that you should
make a law that says that no one is allowed to pray to anyone but you for 30 days! And if anyone
breaks this law, let’s throw them in the lion’s den!” The king liked the sound of this idea so he

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wrote it down and made it a law. Now Daniel had a problem. Every day he would go to the
highest room in his house, open the windows and pray to God. If Daniel continues to do this,
then he is going in the lion’s den.

Ask, What should Daniel do? Discuss Daniel’s options. He should follow God, but it would be
easier to just hide and pray. But what will happen to him if he doesn’t obey God and keep
praying? What will happen if he doesn’t obey Darius? After talking for a few minutes ask, If
you were Daniel what would you do?

A Big Problem

Daniel 6:10-18

No materials needed for this part of the lesson.

Say, Daniel decided to follow God even though he knew he might be thrown into the pit of hungry
lions. As soon as the jealous men saw Daniel they went and told King Darius that Daniel had
broken the law. Darius was very sad, but he knew that he had no choice but to throw Daniel in
the lion’s den. That night Darius was so sad about his friend Daniel that he could not sleep. He
hoped that somehow God would save Daniel.

Ask, How do you think Daniel feels now? Scared? Remember that verse we learned earlier, “Trust
in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit
to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Daniel was probably scared to be around those
lions, but let’s keep reading and see what God does for Daniel. Remember, the Bible teaches us
that when we trust God he keeps our path straight. Daniel decided to stick close to God and trust
that God’s way is the best.

A Big Response

Daniel 6:19-28

No materials needed for this part of the lesson.

Say, In the morning, King Darius rushed to the Lion pit and looked to see if Daniel was still alive.
And believe it or not Daniel was just fine! He told King Darius that the Lord had sent angels to
close the mouths of the lions. Darius was happy and made a new law that said that God was the
only one who deserved the praise and prayers of the Kingdom. Daniel stuck with God and as a
result he was saved from the lion’s den and King Darius believed that God was real. Daniel
continued to work for King Darius and lived a prosperous life.

“Daniel and the Lion’s Den” Songs

No materials needed for this part of the lesson.

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Use these songs to praise God for saving Daniel.

1. Sing “I am A Hungry Lion”

To the tune of “The B-I-B-L-E.”

I am a hungry lion

Yes, I want to eat Daniel

But the Lord said NO, shut your mouth.

So I’m just a hungry lion

ROAR!

2. Sing “Daniel Chose to Follow God”

To the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”

God tells us to follow Him, Follow Him, Follow Him

God tells us to follow Him, and He will make our path straight.

Daniel chose to follow God, Follow God, Follow God

Daniel chose to follow God, and God saved Daniel.

I can choose to follow God, Follow God, Follow God,

I can choose to follow God, and be just like Daniel.

More Learning Activities – Learn through Play

You will need a hula hoop, cotton balls, and masking tape for activity 2. You will need chalk
for activity 3.

1. Have the children pretend that they are lions. What would they say to each other?
What would they say to Daniel?

2. Put strips of masking tape across a hula hoop. Let the class take turns throwing cotton
balls through the hoop. See how many cotton balls they can get to stick to the tape.
As you play remind the class that the cotton balls are sticking to the tape, just like we
should stick to God. Tell them the Bible verse again, Proverbs 3:5-6.

3. Go outside and draw lion paw prints on the concrete with chalk. Once the kids are
done coloring, challenge the class to follow the prints from one side of the sidewalk to
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 the other. Try to only step on the prints. Tell the class that whenever we follow God
he will make our path straight. Sometimes this means we are faced with scary
situations like Daniel, but God always knows what He is doing and leads us on the
right path.

Learn through Crafts

Before class, print, In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight”
Proverbs 3:6 on to large address labels. You will need crayons or colored pencils for the
class.

Cut apart the address labels and give one to each child. Let them color it. Encourage them
to wear it on their shirt all day as a reminder to stick with God.

Learn through Prayer

Close in Prayer. Say, Dear Lord, thank you for being faithful and leading us on the right path for
our life. Please protect us from evil this week and help us to stick close to you. Amen.

For extra ideas, compare this lesson plan with our other teaching plans for this Bible story:

Kelly Henderson’s Daniel Sunday School Lesson

Felicia Mollohan’s Preschool Lesson on Daniel and the Lions

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Lesson: God Saves Daniel from a Den of Lions
ministry-to-children.com/lesson-daniel-and-the-lions

Kelly Henderson July 21,

2011

This free lesson plan teaches is based on the story

of Daniel in the Lion’s den. God can rescue from any
terrible situation. This lesson also deals with the
character of Daniel and his example of being
trustworthy. God rewarded Daniel by delivering him
when he was falsely accused. Students will learn
that a trustworthy life comes from walking faithfully
with God each day.

This Bible study was created for older students and

can be adapted for other ministry needs. This is a free guide to help give you ideas in your
preparation. We welcome your ideas and comments below.

Bible Story: Daniel and the Lion’s Den

Scripture: Daniel 6
Target Age Group: Age 9 – 11 (U.S. 3rd – 5th Grade)
Learning Context: Sunday School
Target Time Frame: 60 minutes

Supply List: Bibles, flannels or pictures for Bible lesson, picture of child, descriptive words
on slips of paper

Learning Goal: Students will learn that Christ’s ambassadors are trustworthy.

Learning Indicator: Students will demonstrate their comprehension by participating in

activities and answering review questions.

Gospel Connection: Daniel can be a good example, but ultimately we all fall short. The sin
in our hearts makes it impossible to remain true to Christ without God’s grace. Because
Jesus dies in our place, we can be accepted by God even when we are not trustworthy.

Learning Activity #1: Place a picture of a child on the board (optional-draw an outline of a
person and write the descriptive phrases around the child) along with the slips of
descriptive phrases (positive and negative-Example: honest-liar). As you do this activity with
your students choose volunteers to remove the behaviors that do not reflect Jesus in the life
of a believer.
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Learning Activity #2: Word Puzzle for students to work on while waiting for students to
arrive.

Test: Review Questions

Memory Verse: 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind
your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life
may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”

Teaching the Memory Verse: Talk about how Daniel modeled this verse in his life. What
are some practical examples from every day life that we experience that we can do to obey
this verse? Recite the verse and have students decide on hand motions.

Bible Lesson: Delivered From Den of Lions

(Open with prayer.)

(Do Activity #1 as an introduction to the Bible lesson.)

Let’s open our Bibles to Daniel 6. From our past lessons on Daniel what are some attitudes
that he modeled that are good examples for Christ’s ambassadors? (Answer with wisdom
and tact, pray for wisdom, give God all the credit, point others to God)

In our Bible lesson today we are going to discover another character trait that Christ’s
ambassadors should exhibit from Daniel’s life. Let’s read Daniel 6:1-3. (Choose volunteers)
King Darius chose 120 satraps (say-trap) or governors to have authority in the different
territories in his kingdom. King Darius chose 3 men to be administrators over the 120
satraps. These three administrators made sure the satraps were serving the king well.

Who did we see that was chosen as one of the three men to be an administrator over the
120 satraps? (Daniel) What descriptive phrases do we read about Daniel? (So distinguished
himself, exceptional qualities) from what we already know about Daniel’s life what do you
think his exceptional qualities were? (Allow responses)

King Darius saw those good character traits and wanted to promote Daniel to be the leader
over all the administrators and satraps.

Let’s imagine what this event may have looked like if we were there. (Remember if it’s not
written in God’s Word we don’t know for sure how the king makes it known that he wants to
promote Daniel.) Let’s picture all the leaders gathered for a meeting with King Darius. They
are meeting to discuss how things are going in each of the territories. Each of the
administrators talk about the problems and successes of the area they are in charge of. As
King Darius looks at Daniel and listens to him speak he says, “Daniel, you have such an

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excellent attitude. You always do your work with excellence and wisdom. I have been
watching you and have been very impressed with you. I have put a lot of thought into
promoting you to lead all of these men in this room.”

The other two administrators must have been filled with jealousy as they hear the king say
these kind words to Daniel. They worked hard too. Didn’t the king notice them? Why would
he promote Daniel a man who isn’t even from this land but a captive from the land of
Jerusalem?

Jealousy is a terrible character trait. (Proverbs 14:30, James 3:16) Jealousy never leads
anyone to make good decisions. Instead of agreeing with King Darius that Daniel was
exceptional the others chose to allow jealousy to poison their hearts.

Believers can trust that God sees their faithfulness and He will reward them. When
others are being recognized we can encourage and support them instead of envying
them.

After leaving the meeting with the king the two administrators and 120 satraps had a
meeting of their own. “How infuriating that King Darius would want to promote Daniel!
Doesn’t he see that there are others in his kingdom that are smarter and more powerful
than Daniel? We have to come up with a plan to keep the king from promoting him. Who
knows of anything that Daniel has done that can be used against him?”

The men thought and thought. They searched their memories of all the different times they
were with Daniel. None of them could ever think of a time when they heard Daniel speak
disrespectfully against the king. No one ever saw Daniel mistreat someone in the kingdom.
Not one person could stand up and say anything bad about Daniel that would keep the king
from promoting him. All they realized by thinking about Daniel was that he was completely
trustworthy.

Christ’s ambassadors should be trustworthy. When a person is trustworthy others

can count on them to do what they say they are going to do. A believer is trustworthy
when they walk faithfully with God every day. Prayer, Bible reading and turning from
any known sin are a part of daily life.

These jealous men knew that they could find nothing wrong with his life that would keep
him from being promoted. It took some time but the men finally came up with an idea. “I’ve
got it!” One of them may have shouted. “I have walked by Daniel’s house and he regularly
prays to his God. He only worships his God and not the many gods we worship. Daniel
obeys the laws of his God and he is not allowed to worship any other god or pray to anyone
else. We need to convince the king to make a law that forces Daniel to choose his God or to
obey King Darius.”

The men thought this was a brilliant idea. Daniel lived such an upright life that the only way
3/7
they could keep him from being promoted was through trickery. They went to Darius and
spoke flattering words. Let’s read what they said in Daniel 6:6-8.

King Darius was caught off guard by their flattering words. The idea seemed like a
reasonable thing for the people of his kingdom to do. He agreed with these men and
signed the scroll with the law written on it and put his seal on it. Now whoever disobeyed
this law would be thrown into the den of lions.

Darius was not a worshiper of the One True God. How many people do you think this law
would really affect in Darius’ kingdom? (Allow responses) He wasn’t thinking about how his
quick decision to follow the suggestion of these leaders would affect others.

Believers should always seek God’s wisdom before making hasty decisions. Our
decisions do affect others around us. (Proverbs 19:2, Ecclesiastes 5:2, Proverbs 3:5-6)

Daniel heard the latest news in the kingdom of how King Darius signed a law that praying to
anyone other than him for the next 30 days was punishable by death.

Read Daniel 6:10. We do not read of any hesitation on Daniel’s part to change his lifestyle
based on the news. We don’t read of him being tempted to pray quietly in his heart so no
one would ever know. We don’t read that he was so afraid of being thrown into the lions’
den that he closed his windows and spent his time privately before the Lord.

Daniel was faithful to his God. He had an established time that he stopped and prayed to
God. He prayed 3 times a day. (Psalm 55:17) His window that opened in the direction of
Jerusalem the Holy city was always opened when he talked to God. (2 Chronicles 6:26, 29)
Daniel didn’t allow fear of death keep him from praying to the One True God.

The group of men walked by Daniel’s house. As they looked in his window imagine how
giddy they felt when they saw him on his knees praying to God! They ran as fast as they
could back to Darius.

Gasping for air, one of the men was able to blurt out the news that they had caught
someone in the kingdom praying to another God. “Didn’t you make a law that says, ‘Anyone
who prays to another god or man for the next thirty days would be thrown into the den of
lions.’?”

“That is correct, said Darius. It is a law that cannot be changed.”

It must have been hard not to look overly happy about the next bit of information that the
men were going to tell Darius. “Well, King Darius, we happened to be walking by Daniel’s
house and we saw him on his knees praying to his God. He ignored the law that you signed
and prayed to his God instead of you.”

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Darius’ heart sank. He must have thought, “How could I have been such a fool? Why would I
make such a law when I know that one of my most trusted leaders serves the One, True
God?” He was so troubled that he didn’t know what to do.

The jealous men knew exactly what he had to do. “Remember, O king you have to keep the
law that you made. It cannot be changed.”

The men were right. The law was signed and there was no way to change it. There was only
one thing the king could do and that was to have Daniel brought from his house and thrown
into the den of lions.

King Darius cared deeply for Daniel. He didn’t quickly hide somewhere in his palace putting
the thoughts of his most trusted leader out of his mind. He was present as Daniel was
brought to the den of lions.

Let’s read verse 16. What positive character trait does Darius speak about Daniel? (Your
God whom you serve continually)

Christ ambassadors serve God faithfully. It is impossible to be faithful to God in our

own strength. How does a believer serve faithfully? (The power of the Holy Spirit
living in their heart enables them to be faithful) The Holy Spirit will enable followers of
Christ to walk with God daily-consistently.

Daniel was placed in the den of lions and a large stone was rolled in front of it so Daniel
could not escape. The king used his ring to seal the stone. The other leaders used their
rings to seal the stone as well.

Darius must have left the tomb with tears in his eyes and sadness in his heart. He went back
to his palace. He told his servants not to bring him anything to eat. He was unable to even
think of eating. He didn’t want anyone coming to visit him or entertain him that evening. He
was very upset by the events of that day. He must have been very upset with himself
because of his part in the danger that Daniel was in that night. Darius was unable to sleep
thinking about Daniel surrounded by hungry lions.

Darius must have paced his floors all night long hoping that Daniel’s God rescued him from
this terrible situation. As he paced the floors he saw that the sun was starting to come up
over the horizon. At the first glimpse of the sun, Darius ran to the den where Daniel was
sealed in.

When he reached the stone he cried out 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?”

Choose volunteer to read Daniel’s response in verses 21-22.

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The king was thrilled to hear Daniel’s voice. “Quick move that stone and get Daniel out of
there!”

As Daniel was taken from the den not a mark was found on him. No lion bite marks or even
a scratch could be seen on his body. God protected Daniel because he trusted in Him.

The king knew that these men had tricked him to try to have Daniel killed. He commanded
that the men and their families be thrown into the den. God’s angel was no longer in that
den to protect from the ferocious, hungry lions. These men who plotted to destroy Daniel
faced their own destruction.

Darius was so thankful that Daniel’s life was spared. He made a law that everyone needed
to honor and respect Daniel’s God. Let’s read Darius’ words he used to describe the God of
heaven in verses 26-27.

As God’s ambassador in Darius’ kingdom Daniel showed God’s power to rescue those who
trust in Him. Daniel served God faithfully and he was rewarded by being delivered from the
den of lions.

How about you and I? Do people say that we are trustworthy? Do people see us continually
serving Jesus no matter what? Many people do not know Jesus and we have been given this
life to point others to Him. What important daily habits do we need to do so we can be
faithful to the Lord? Let’s begin today to put things in our lives that help us to be faithful to
God (prayer, Bible reading, obedience) and remove those things that are keeping us from
serving Him with all our hearts.

As we close let’s compare Daniel sealed in a den of lions with Jesus who was sealed in a
stone cold tomb. Every man, woman, boy and girl has broken God’s laws. The punishment
for breaking His laws is death. This death is separation from God forever and ever. God
sent His Son Jesus to this earth to die on the cross for the punishment of our sins. We all are
guilty of sin. Jesus was innocent. He took our place on the cross and His dead body was
placed in a tomb and a stone was rolled in front of it. Three days later God the stone was
rolled away and Jesus was alive! God raised Jesus from the dead! Jesus has power to
forgive us for all our sin. If you have not been saved and want to know more from the Bible
about what it means to believe in Jesus, please talk to us after we pray.

Close in prayer.

Review Questions:

1. Who was the king in Daniel 6? (Darius)

2. How many satraps were in Darius’ kingdom? (120)
3. How many administrators were over the satraps? (3)
4. Who was Darius going to promote to be the leader over all the rulers? (Daniel)
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5. Why was Darius going to promote Daniel? (He distinguished himself with exceptional
qualities)
6. How did the men trick Darius to try to keep Daniel from being promoted? (law against
praying to anyone but Darius for 30 days)
7. Why was Darius distressed about the news about Daniel praying? (He didn’t want him
to have to be thrown into the den of lions)
8. Who rescued Daniel? (God, He sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions)
9. What new law did Darius make? (All people were to honor and respect Daniel’s God)

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God is Trustworthy (Daniel 6) Lesson #37 in What is God
Like?
ministry-to-children.com/god-is-trustworthy-lesson

Bethany Darwin May 31,

2019

In this lesson plan from Daniel 6, kids will learn that God is Trustworthy.

God is Trustworthy (Daniel 6) Lesson #37 in What is God Like?

AGE GROUP: elementary (ages 6-11)

TIME REQUIRED: 45 minutes

This is lesson 37 of 42 in our study on the Attributes of God called “Can you tell me what God is
like?” Visit the series index to view all the lessons and get more ideas for using this curriculum in
your children’s ministry.

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LESSON 37: GOD IS TRUSTWORTHY
Key Verse: “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statues of the Lord
are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7
Teaching Passage: Daniel 6
Supporting Texts: Psalm 19:7, Psalm 145:13

SUPPLIES NEEDED:
Bibles, previous attribute of God posters, a large piece of paper with the words GOD IS
TRUSTWORTHY written on it, key verse (Psalm 19:7) printed on a piece of paper, blank paper
and markers or colored pencils for each child in the group.

LESSON OUTLINE:
REVIEW PREVIOUS LESSONS:

Ask one of the kids in the group to remind you what you’re learning this year. Remind them
that each week we’ll be looking into the Bible to answer the question… “Can you tell me
what God is like?” and will be learning one of the many truths about God that we see in His
Word.

Take a few minutes to review the attributes you’ve previously learned. Have kids stand in a
line. Whisper an attribute of God in the first person’s ear. They should say the attribute
outloud. The next person should do the motion and the 3rd person should define or explain
the attribute. Those 3 people should then move to the back of the line so you can start all
over again. If someone doesn’t know the motion or definition, they can pass or someone
can give them a clue. Play for 5 minutes or so.

God is Almighty= He has absolute power or is all powerful

God is the Alpha and Omega= He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last
God is Awesome = He inspires awe and amazement
God is Compassionate = He shows a deep concern for His people & a desire to meet
their needs
God is the Deliverer = He is the rescuer or savior
God is Exalted = He is noble, elevated and lifted up
God is Faithful = He is reliable, trustworthy, true to His Word & keeps His promises
God Forgives = He grants pardon and cancels the debt of sin
God is Glorious = He is full of glory (praise, honor & distinction)
God is Good = morally excellent, virtuous or righteous
God is Gracious = merciful, benevolent, kind & compassionate
God Guides His People= He leads, accompanies, assists and gives direction/ guidance
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 God Heals = make healthy & whole & free from ailments
God is Holy = He is sinless, perfect and set apart
God is our Hope = He is the One in whom our expectations are centered
Jesus is Immanuel = God with Us
God is Judge = He is the One who rules over and passes judgement on others
God is Just = He is the One who is fair and does what is right
God is King of kings & Lord of lords = He is The One who rules the rulers
Jesus is the Lamb without blemish = He is the perfect sacrifice for sin
God is Love = God has tender and caring affection for His people
God is Majestic = God is stately, kingly, grand & raised up
God is Merciful = God is full of compassion, pity, and undeserved grace & love for
another
God is Omnipotent = He is almighty or infinite in power
God is Omnipresent = He is everywhere all the time
God is Omniscient = He knows everything
God is One = the Only God
God Protects His People = He defends, guards, covers & shields His people
God is Righteous = He is always right & He always does what is right
God is the Rock = solid, strong and offering protection
God provides the PERFECT SACRIFICE for sin = Jesus is the gift or payment that paid
for our sin
God Saves = to rescue from danger
God Shepherds His people = He tends, guards and watches over His people
God is a Shield= He hides, conceals & protects His people (through Jesus’ blood)
God is Sovereign = He rules over all
Jesus is the One Mediator = He is the One who stands between (us & God) and brings
judgement

TEACH – GOD IS TRUSTWORTHY:

Introduce the story by putting the book of Daniel into context. Go through a VERY brief
history of God’s people to help them see where Daniel fits into the story:
– God created the world, man sinned, kicked out of the garden
– Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph- sent to Egypt
– Slaves in Egypt, exodus, 40 years, promised land
– promise to obey in promised land, don’t, cycle of judges, ask for king…. Saul, David,
Solomon
– Kingdom split, some good kings, some bad…. people keep sinning…. God warns…. people
sin
– God’s people are taken into captivity in Babylon. The first part if the captivity were the
royal family, nobles and young men who were strong & healthy…..Daniel was among this
group.
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Read Daniel 6 and/ or tell the story in your own words highlighting the following points:

King Darius chose 120 men to rule the kingdom and Daniel and 2 other men who
made leaders/ administrators over them.
Daniel rules so well that the king put him in charge of the whole kingdom, but the
other 2 guys were jealous and tried to find a way to make Daniel look bad.
These other 2 men went to the king and told him how great of a king he was and
suggested that he make a law that for 30 days no one could pray or bow down to any
god or man except to the king. The king liked the idea and made it a law without really
thinking through what would happen. The law also said that if you did pray to
someone else you would be thrown into the lion’s den.
Then, the 2 guys watched. They knew Daniel was faithful to God and would go to his
room and pray 3 times a day.
Daniel heard the law and it didn’t stop him. He kept praying. The other guys spied and
watched and caught him praying. They told the king and because Daniel had broken
the law he had to be punished.
The kings tried to save Daniel, but he couldn’t change the law. He told Daniel that he
hoped that his God would protect him. Daniel was put in the lion’s den and a stone
was put over the top and the king sealed it closed.
The king couldn’t sleep all night because he was so worried about Daniel. Early in the
morning he ran to check and Daniel. He yelled into the den and asked Daniel if his
God had rescued him. Daniel responded and said that God had protected him.
When Daniel was brought safely out of the lion’s den, the king had the other officials
thrown in and the lions devoured them.
The king wrote a new ruling and told all of the people of the land that God had
rescued Daniel and that they should all fear Him.

DEFINE AND REMEMBER:

Introduce attribute for the week by asking the kids if they think Daniel ever thought about
obeying the ruling to not pray/ bow down to anyone but the king. Why not? Why did Daniel
know that God could be trusted no matter what?

Ask if they think Daniel was nervous when he was thrown in the lion’s den. Why or why not?
Help kids to see that Daniel trusted God. Daniel knew that God was dependable and faithful
and that doing what God said was more important than doing what the king said.

Help kids to see that Daniel knew that he could trust God because God had been
trustworthy/ faithful in the past. Have kids give you some examples of times in the Bible
where God did what He said He would do. (Adam & Eve, Abraham, Exodus, etc.)

4/6
TRUSTWORTHY = DEPENDABLE, RELIABLE, HONEST AND FAITHFUL

Since motions & actions help kids remember, choose an action for TRUSTWORTHY. A good
motion might be to cross your fingers and say “I promise.”

MEMORY VERSE:
SAY: “This morning we’re talking about the truth that God is trustworthy. He can be trusted.
We can count on Him to do what He says He will do. We can know that He is dependable,
reliable, honest & faithful. Our key verse for the week is Psalm 19:7. Let’s say the verse
together a couple of times.”

Read the memory verse (Psalm 19:7) a few times together and do the motion for trustworthy.

CROSS CONNECTION:

Trusting God to save us isn’t something that was only true for Daniel. God saved Daniel from
physical harm and death, but He has also shown His trustworthiness and kept His promise
to save us from something greater that death. Way back at the beginning of the Bible when
Adam & Eve sinned for the first time, that sin came with a consequence and that
consequence is death….not just physical death, but eternal death and separation from God.
But, from Genesis 3, right after that first sin, God began to tell His people about His rescue
plan. Genesis 3:15 tells us that an offspring of a woman will crush Satan. Genesis 12:3 God
tells Abraham that all peoples of the earth will be blessed through his offspring. Both of
these promises and so many more, point to a the promise of a someone who would come
to rescue God’s people from sin and death. God kept His promise and Jesus came to save us
from sin and death by dying on the cross in our place. This reminds us that we all need to be
saved, but more than needing to be saved from lions like Daniel, we all need to be saved
from our sin.

REVIEW:
Give each child a blank piece of paper provide markers or colored pencils. Encourage them
to write the word TRUSTWORTHY somewhere on the paper and then write or draw
something to help them remember this attribute of God. They could write the definition for
TRUSTWORTHY or the memory verse or they could illustrate the the story. After a few
minutes, bring the group back together and give kids time to share what they have drawn or
written. Have kids share with you examples from the Bible where we can clearly see that
God can be trusted.

5/6
PRAYER:
Pray that the kids in the group would come to know God more and more each week
through this study and that they would remember that all of us are sinners who need to be
saved and that they would turn to this good God for salvation. Pray that children in the class
would trust God for their salvation and know that God can always be trusted.

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Daniel and the Lion’s Den (Preschool Bible Lesson)
ministry-to-children.com/daniel-and-the-lions-den-preschool-bible-lesson

Felicia Mollohan April 23,

2013

Use this free lesson plan to teach preschoolers how God saved Daniel from the Lion’s Den.
We’ve included several activities, but please modify and include what is most appropriate
for your ministry setting. Your suggestions are always helpful to other readers.

Bible Story: Daniel and the Lion’s Den – Daniel 6:2-4,6-7,10-13,16-17,19-22

Learning Objectives: After this lesson, the children will demonstrate an understanding of
the story by telling the story to a neighbor with a puppet.

Target Age: 2 year olds – 5 year olds

Items Needed:

Bible, Daniel 6:2-4,6-7,10-13,16-17,19-22

“Daniel and the Lion’s Den” Story Booklet (download)
1 lion’s head printout per child (download) and crayons
1 lunch paper bag per child, scissors, glue, construction paper strips (1/2”
wide), pencils
Optional Daniel coloring pages and Daniel praying

1/3
Teaching Plan: Daniel and the Lion’s Den
Welcome Activity: Welcome activities are things to have out for the children to do as they
are arriving for class. These activities will get them engaged as soon as they arrive and will
help the transition from their parents.

Have the children color the lion’s head. This will be used later in the lesson.

Worship Time: Use any preschool church songs your children enjoy

Bible Lesson Introduction: Who likes lions? What do lions sound like? What do lions do?
What do lions eat? In our Bible Story today, we will be reading a story about a man and
some lions.

Bible Lesson: Read Daniel 6:2-4,6-7,10-13,16-17,19-22 (NIRV) aloud to the children. There is
also a book that you can print out that has the story along with simple pictures to help the
children understand what is being read. Read the verses (story) to the children. If you are
using the print out story, point to the pictures as you read the story so that the children can
better understand what you are saying.

Responsive Listening: Read the story again for review, but this time have the children
growl each time you say the word “lion”.

Discuss the Bible Reading

When you are finished reading the story the second time, ask the children the
following questions so that you can know they understood it.
“Who was in the story?” The king, Daniel
“What was Daniel doing that was seen as wrong?” Praying to God
“What happened to Daniel because of this?” He was thrown into the lions’ den “Did he
get hurt?” No
“Why?” God shut the lions’ mouths

Suggested Crafts & Learning Activities

Lion Puppet Activity

Give each child a paper bag.

Have them cut their lion’s head (from the Welcome Activity) on the line across the
middle (or cut it for them if they are too young to use scissors).
Have them glue the top part of the lion’s head on the flap of the bag and the bottom
half of the lion’s head under the flap.
Lay out the strips of construction paper on the table and have the children glue them
on the lion’s head as the mane. They can use the pencils or their finger to curl up the
2/3
 strips, if they want.

Activity: Bible Verse Memorization

“Daniel was brought out and thrown into the lions’ den. As soon as the sun began to rise, the king
got up and he called out to Daniel. Daniel answered, “God’s angel shut the mouths of the lions.
They haven’t hurt me at all.“ Daniel 6:16-22

Daniel was brought out and thrown into the lions’ den : act like you are throwing something
As soon as the sun began to rise : raise arms above head in the shape of a circle The king got
up and called out to Daniel: cup hands around mouth
Daniel answered, “God’s angel: point to heaven Shut the mouths: open mouth and then shut
mouth
Of the lions: growl like a lion
They haven’t hurt me at all: shake head “No” Daniel 6: hold 6 fingers up
16: hold 10 fingers up and then 6 fingers
22: hold up 2 fingers on each hand

Do this a few times with the children. Make it fun for them to do the motions and say the
words. Involving them in active learning is essential for memorization at this age.

Bible Verse Activity: Daniel, Daniel, Lion (a.k.a. Duck, Duck, Goose)

Play Daniel, Daniel, Lion with the children

Evaluation: Have the children tell the story to a neighbor using their puppet.

3/3
 So the leaders went as a group to the Daniel found out that the king had
king. They said, "We've agreed that signed the order. In spite of that, he
you should give an order. And you did just as he had always done
should make sure it's obeyed. Here is before.
the command you should give. During
the next 30 days don't let any of your He went home to his upstairs room.
people pray to any god or man except He went to his room three times a
to you. If they do, throw them into the day to pray. He got down on his
lions' den." knees and gave thanks to his God.
Some of the leaders saw Daniel praying
and asking God for help. So they went
to the king. They said, "It said that for
the next 30 days none of your people So the king gave the order. Daniel
could pray to any god or man except was brought out and thrown into the
to you. If they did, they would be lions' den. The king said to him,
thrown into the lions' den." "You always serve your God
faithfully. So may he save you!"
The king answered, "The order must
still be obeyed." A stone was brought and placed
over the opening of the den. Then
Then they said, "Daniel still prays to nothing could be done to help
his God three times a day." Daniel.
  
As soon as the sun began to rise, the
king got up. He hurried to the lions'
den. When he got near it, he called out
to Daniel. He said, "Daniel! You serve
the living God. So has he been able to
save you from the lions?"
Daniel answered, "My God sent his
angel. And his angel shut the mouths
of the lions. They haven't hurt me at
all. That's because I haven't done
anything wrong in God's sight."
We hope you enjoy this free resource.
Everything from Ministry-To-Chidren.com is 100% free to copy & use in ministry.

I’m Tony Kummer - I started this website in 2007, but God is

using it beyond my imagination. The mission is simple.

Help you tell kids about Jesus!

Our team is honored that you choose our material. Thank you for …

• serving where God has placed you.

• telling children about Jesus.
• allowing us to be a part of your mission.

We don’t ask for money, but we do need your help.

Please consider the following:
1. Comment on the website to encourage our authors.
2. Link to us from your blog or church website.
3. Share our posts on Pinterest or Facebook.
4. Tell a friend to google “Ministry to Children.”
5. Add me (and our team) to your personal prayer list.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this download. Tony@ministry-to-children.com

May God bless you and continue to bless your ministry!
We hope you enjoy this free resource.
Everything from Ministry-To-Chidren.com is 100% free to copy & use in ministry.

I’m Tony Kummer - I started this website in 2007, but God is

using it beyond my imagination. The mission is simple.

Help you tell kids about Jesus!

Our team is honored that you choose our material. Thank you for …

• serving where God has placed you.

• telling children about Jesus.
• allowing us to be a part of your mission.

We don’t ask for money, but we do need your help.

Please consider the following:
1. Comment on the website to encourage our authors.
2. Link to us from your blog or church website.
3. Share our posts on Pinterest or Facebook.
4. Tell a friend to google “Ministry to Children.”
5. Add me (and our team) to your personal prayer list.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this download. Tony@ministry-to-children.com

May God bless you and continue to bless your ministry!