Clips from the Cave

This week in the Cave, we discussed one of the most famous stories in the Bible: Daniel and the Lions' Den. 

Daniel was appointed by King Darius as an administrator to keep watch over the government officials in his kingdom. Daniel was so distinguished that the king planned to promote Daniel and put him above all the other government leaders. The other government officials tried to find anything to accuse Daniel of, but he wasn't corrupt or negligent, so instead, they decided to use the law of Daniel's God against him. They convinced King Darius to make a law---a written and unchangeable law---that said that for the next thirty days, no one could pray to anyone except the king, and that anyone who did would be thrown into the lions' den. The officials found Daniel kneeling and praying to God the next day and reported him to the king. King Darius did everything he could to save Daniel, but had to follow the law and put Daniel in the lions' den. The next morning, King Darius called to Daniel and asked if God had rescued him from the lions. Daniel answered that God had found him innocent and sent His angel to shut the mouths of the lions. The king was overjoyed, and Daniel had no wounds because he had trusted in God. The king threw the men who had tricked the king into the lions' den and wrote a new law telling his entire kingdom to be fearful and reverent of the God of Daniel. 

This story is about trust in God. When Darius called out to Daniel, he did not expect an answer. Sometimes when we pray, we don't expect God to answer, either. However, God is always trustworthy and He will always answer us. Daniel knew God's Word and followed it by praying to Him despite the king's orders. 

One of our memory verses for this lesson is Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, "Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." 

We can't make it through life by ourselves, but we can ask God for help. By praying, Daniel was acknowledging The Lord and His presence in his life, and Daniel trusted in God to protect him from not just the lions, but the malicious people in his life. The Lord gave Daniel everything he needed to survive any challenge he faced, and all Daniel had to do was trust in Him. 

If we can show the faith and trust that Daniel had, we, too, can survive any obstacles that come our way, whether we face something as terrible as persecution or as simple as a distraction from doing our homework. 

We'd like to thank Pat N. for teaching us this week! We dearly missed her while she was away! 

Have a great week!