Senior Living News

This favorite Bible story from the Old Testament demonstrates God's faithfulness to those who love and follow him and has many takeaways pertinent to all phases of life. Let's dig into this story to discover what lessons it holds for older adults.

Where to Find Daniel and the Lion's Den in the Bible

Before you can dive deep into this story, you need to find it in the Old Testament. You'll find the entire narrative in Daniel 6. Here's a summary of the events:

• Darius, who was king of Babylon at the time, appointed numerous administrators to rule under him. Daniel was one of those people.
• Daniel made an excellent administrator, and Darius had plans to put him in charge of his entire kingdom, but others in leadership roles were jealous.
• These other men knew they could never find fault with Daniel unless they could create misalignment between the rules of the kingdom and the rules of Daniel's God.
• They conspired to have the king issue a decree that no one should pray to anyone but the king for 30 days. They knew Daniel would be faithful to his God and keep praying to God.
• Daniel continued to pray, and the men found him at it and brought him before the king.
• Darius had no choice but to sentence Daniel as the decree demanded, which was to the lion's den.
• When Daniel was thrown into the lion's den, Darius said, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!"
• After Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, a stone was rolled over the opening and left in place all night.
• In the morning, the stone was rolled away, and the king called into the den for Daniel.
• Daniel responded, giving glory to God that he had been saved.
• The result of this event was that Darius decreed that people must fear and revere the God of Daniel throughout the kingdom.

5 Takeaways From the Lion's Den

While this is a common story to teach children in Sunday school because it has obvious takeaways about God's faithfulness and protection, you can study this story and the surrounding chapters as an adult, finding new lessons regularly. Whether you're just growing in faith as an older adult or an elder leader within your church community, here are five takeaways to consider.

1. The World Is Not Aligned With God

The first part of Daniel 6 demonstrates that the world around us is often not aligned with God. In Daniel's case, the other leaders in the kingdom didn't care about his God. They conspired to use his religion against him.

Today, media culture such as movies and television is often not aligned with faith beliefs. That's just one example — you can probably name half a dozen examples from your own life without thinking very hard. This story about Daniel reminds us that we aren't alone in facing this type of situation and that it's nothing new for people of faith.

2. People of Faith Should Align With God Anyway

We can surmise from the information about Daniel, such as the fact that he rose to the top as an administrator for the king, that he was not rash, stupid or incapable of thinking strategically. He knew what the decree against praying meant, and yet he didn't let it sway his actions. He remained obedient to God.

This is something God's people are still called to do today. As an older adult of faith, you may not face a decree against prayer. But whether you live in a faith-based assisted living community or a rural or urban home, you may still face some worldly influence. Daniel's story reminds us to turn to God regularly, no matter the world around us.

3. Aligning With God Has Consequences

This story has teeth, though — literally. Within the world, following God's leading can have seemingly negative consequences. For Daniel, it was potential death in the lion's den. Seniors of faith may have dealt with reactions to their beliefs before, including loss of friendship. During such times, we can return to the story of Daniel and be reminded that we don't face those consequences alone. The Spirit of God goes with us.

4. The World Watches Your Actions

Everyone was watching Daniel. Even the king paid close attention to what happened in the lion's den, and the result was that God was glorified throughout the kingdom. Maybe your actions won't send a message to an entire kingdom, but they could teach your neighbor, child, friend or grandchild about the love and power of God. Those lessons matter.

5. God Provides a Mighty Protection

Finally, the story of Daniel and the lion's den gives us a very clear picture of the might of God. While God doesn't always make things perfect in this life, we can trust that he's protecting us from what matters in the everlasting scope of our walk with him.

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