Opening song and prayer
2 minSing Dare to Do Right (Children's Songbook 158), then invite a child to offer the opening prayer.
The Fourth Chair
4 minSet up three chairs and label them Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Tape a red paper flame on the floor in front of them.
Ask three volunteers to sit. Tell the story briefly: a king built a golden statue and said everyone must bow. These three friends refused.
Ask what they would do if everyone else bowed. Then add a fourth empty chair beside the three and say the king saw a fourth person in the fire with them. God did not leave them alone.
- What did the king want everyone to do?Bow down and worship his golden statue.
- What did the three friends choose instead?They chose to obey God and not worship the statue.
- Why put a fourth empty chair?To remind us that God was with them in the fire, even if we cannot always see Him.
Our God is able to deliver us ... but if not
6 minThe king threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego into a fiery furnace because they would not worship his statue. They told the king something bold: our God can save us from the fire. But even if He does not, we still will not bow down.
That is one of the bravest sentences in scripture. They trusted God's power and God's plan, even when they did not know the ending yet.
- What were the three friends thrown into?A burning fiery furnace.
- What did they say about whether God would save them?They said God was able to deliver them, but even if He did not, they would still not worship the statue.
- Were they hurt in the fire?No. They came out without even the smell of smoke on them.
- When is it hard to obey God if you are not sure things will turn out okay?Let children answer. Standing alone at school, telling the truth when they might get in trouble, saying no to something popular.
Daniel prayed when prayer was against the law
6 minYears later, Daniel served a new king. Enemies tricked the king into signing a law that for thirty days nobody could pray to anyone except the king. Daniel loved God. He went home, opened his window toward Jerusalem, and prayed just like he always had.
They threw him into a den of lions. The king could not sleep all night. In the morning Daniel was still alive. An angel had shut the lions' mouths.
- What law did the king sign?For thirty days nobody could pray to any god except the king.
- What did Daniel do anyway?He knelt and prayed to God three times a day, like he always did.
- What happened in the lions' den?God sent an angel to shut the lions' mouths, and Daniel was safe.
- What daily habit helps you stay close to God like Daniel?Let children answer. Personal prayer, scripture reading, family prayer, gratitude.
Choose the Lord's way from the start (optional)
optionalBefore the furnace and the lions, Daniel was a teenager in Babylon. The king offered rich food and wine that broke the Word of Wisdom. Daniel asked for simple food and water instead. After ten days he and his friends were healthier and stronger.
Small choices early on prepared them for giant tests later.
- What did Daniel refuse to eat and drink?The king's rich food and wine that went against God's law.
- What happened after ten days?Daniel and his friends looked healthier than the others who ate the king's food.
- How do small daily choices prepare us for big tests?They build habits and trust in God so we already know what we will choose when pressure comes.
- What is one healthy or wise choice you can make this week?Let children answer. Good sleep, wholesome food, kind words, less screen time, honest answers.
In the scriptures
5 minRead these together and talk about them.
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
- What two things did the friends believe about God?That He was able to deliver them, and that they would obey Him either way.
- What would they not do even if they were not rescued?Serve the king's gods or worship the golden image.
- What is one commandment you will keep this week no matter what?Let children answer. Honesty, modesty, kind speech, keeping the Sabbath holy.
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
- Did Daniel hide after the new law was signed?No. He went home and prayed openly, just as he had before.
- Which way did he face when he prayed?Toward Jerusalem, where the temple had been.
- What can you keep doing 'as thou didst aforetime' even when others do not?Let children answer. Family prayer, scripture study, attending church, being honest.
Brave choice badges
optionalGive each child a small paper circle as a 'badge.' Have them write one brave choice they will make this week, such as praying when they feel shy or standing up for someone.
Invite them to tape the badge inside their scripture or on their mirror at home.
Remind them that Daniel's friends and Daniel made their big choices because of small daily faith.