Daniel: Always Trust God, No Matter What!

Daniel: Always trust God --- No matter what!

Daniel 6:1-28

Today I’m going to talk to you about a man in the Bible named Daniel. Have you heard of him? What do you know about Daniel? If Daniel could be here right now, I know what he would say to you. He would say this: Always trust God – no matter what! Can you say that with me: (repeat 2 or 3 times)

You see, Daniel trusted God for ALL his life. When he was your age, he grew up in a country called Israel. His parents taught him about His wonderful God. They taught him that he should always follow God’s laws, no matter what. Daniel grew up playing with his cousins. How many of you get to play with your cousins?

Daniel’s cousins were named Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. When they were playing games in Israel, Daniel might have called them Han, Mish, and Az! When Daniel was a little older than you are --- maybe about 12 or 13 years old … everything changed for him.

A King named Nebuchadnezzar went to war against the country of Israel. After he won the war, he took some of the young boys --- like Daniel, Han, Mish, and Az --- all back to his country with him. His country was named Babylon. The people who lived in Babylon did NOT know about God. They did not know about God’s laws, and they did not know that God loved them.

But Daniel remembered what his parents taught him (say it with me): Always trust God --- no matter what! King Nebuchadnezzer put Daniel and his cousins in a special school where they learned all kinds of good things, like how to read and write and do math … but this was a school that did not follow God’s laws. Theygave the students the kinds of food and drink that went against God’s laws for Israel.

Daniel went to the school teacher and he said, “I want to obey my God’s laws. So please let me just drink water instead of wine. And let me eat vegetables and good meats instead of what the others are eating.” The school teacher said, “Oh, no, I can’t do that! You have to do what the KING says!” But Daniel said, “I have to do what my GOD says. Let me and my cousins eat the way God’s Law says. After a few months, you will see that we will be stronger and healthier than any of the other boys!”

So the school teacher decided to give it a try. And guess what? After a few months, Daniel and his cousins all looked stronger and healthier than any of the other boys! Their skin was smoother … their hair was thicker and shinier … their teeth were whiter … and their muscles were bigger. And all because they remembered what their parents taught them (say it with me): Always trust God --- no matter what!

If YOU trust God, then you will grow up stronger and healthier, too --- because God’s Word tells us how to live a good and healthy kind of life!

Well, years went by, and God watched over Daniel and his cousins while they grew up from boys to men. King Nebuchadnezzar got old and died and a new king took his place. His name was Beltshazzar. Then another King took over. His name was Darius the Meade.

But no matter what KING was in charge, Daniel remembered what his parents taught him. (say it with me): Always trust God --- no matter what!

By the time Darius became King, Daniel and his cousins were all grown up. Darius named 120 men to be RULERS in his Kingdom, and he chose Han, Mish, and Az to be in that group. Then Darius chose just THREE special men to be the big RULERS over everyone. Guess who one of those men was?

Yes, DANIEL … Daniel was one of the most powerful rulers in Babylon. Daniel was a good ruler. He wise and kind and strong and good.

If YOU trust God and follow His laws, YOU will grow up to be wise and kind and strong and good, too. Because God’s Word shows us how to live the right way.

Almost everyone loved Daniel because he was such a good ruler. But a few people did NOT like Daniel. These leaders did NOT believe in Daniel’s God, and they wanted to find a way to make the King stop liking Daniel, too. But even though they spied on Daniel every day, they couldn’t catch him doing anything wrong.

They DID see that Daniel did something different from other people. Three times every day, Daniel would go to his window and kneel down and pray to His God. That gave these evil men an idea! They finally knew how they could get Daniel in trouble.