Daniel and the Lions

Daniel 6

Later on, King Darius ruled Babylon. King Darius respected Daniel. He knew Daniel was a godly man who had served the kings before him. But some of King Darius' men did not like Daniel. They wanted to get rid of him. So they convinced the king to make a law forbidding people to pray to anyone but the king. And anyone who broke this law would be thrown into the lions' den!

Daniel knew about the law, but he continued to pray to God. The men spied on Daniel, and then told the king that Daniel had broken the law and must be thrown to the lions' den!

The king sadly agreed, and Daniel was put into the lions'

den. "May your God rescue you," said the king. That night, the king could not eat or sleep. He was too worried about Daniel.

Early the next morning, he ran out to the lions' den. "Daniel!" he cried, "has your God been able to rescue you from the hungry lions?"

"King Darius," called Daniel, "may you live forever. Yes, my God sent His angel to shut the lions' mouths! They have not hurt me." Then King Darius had the evil men who'd made the bad law thrown into the lions' den. And this time, God did not close the lions' mouths.

Integrity At All Times

Rather than sacrifice their consciences, these three young men were willing to die. It is better to lose everything else, even our lives, than to lose our integrity. When everything else is gone - money, family, friends, and shelter - what remains is or integrity.

Don't compromise yourself to gain money, power, or prestige. You may not know how things will turn out when you stick up for the truth, but it won't be dull - and it will be right.

The Spirit of Prayer

Prayer was such an important part of Daniel's life that he risked death in order to pray to God. And he turned to God on a regular basis. Does prayer have the same importance for you? The essence of prayer is a sincere desire tobe in touch with God.

When friends disappoint, temptations increase, and we are faced with suffering, where can we turn? Prayer is our access to God, our communication line to take our concerns to him.