Rawrr! Prayer is good, right? But what happens when someone makes it against the law to pray?!?! Find out in this great episode!

Prayer is talking to God

Daniel would continuously talk to God through prayer. Even when he was threatened to be thrown into the lion’s den, Daniel would continue to pray to God.

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
– Colossians 4:2

Daniel 2, Daniel 6

Daniel and the Lion’s Den
Daniel was a very good, faithful man, who always obeyed God. He would pray to God consistently, three times a day. Daniel had a very close relationship to God due to how often he would talk to God through prayer and because of his unshakable faith. God also gave Daniel an incredible gift—Daniel was able to interpret dreams. This gift led Daniel to successfully interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The king then gave Daniel a high up position in the kingdom and gave him many gifts. Because Daniel was so smart, other wise men in the kingdom were very jealous. Their jealousy led them to convince King Darius to make a new law—that the people were only allowed to pray to the king. If people chose not to obey this law, they would be thrown in the lion’s den. These jealous men knew that Daniel would never obey this law since he would pray to God several times a day.

Daniel continued to pray in his room, even when he had heard about this new law. After the jealous men saw him do this, they told King Darius. This made King very upset because he cared for Daniel and tried to get him out of trouble, but knew there was no way around it. Before throwing him in the den, King Darius told Daniel “Your God, to whom you are so loyal, is going to get you out of this.” The next morning, King Darius went to check on Daniel and heard Daniel say “My God sent his angel to shut the lion’s mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have wronged you, Your majesty.” Daniel had not been harmed! They both knew that Daniel was protected because he had completely trusted God and had faith in Him. Daniel had a great amount of love for the Lord. Daniel also had a deep and personal connection to God because he would intentionally talk to God all the time through prayer. Regardless of the situation he was facing, he would make time to pray. Sometimes, we can get so caught up in our daily routine, that we neglect to prioritize our quiet time with God. But the truth is, God wants to hear from us—He wants us to talk to Him because of His love for each and every one of us.

I can talk to God.

Questions to think about:

1. Why did Daniel continue to pray, even when he knew his life would be threatened?
2. Why did Daniel have such a close relationship with God?
3. How can I remember to talk to God on a daily basis?

Zacchaeus was not popular. A lot of people thought he was a liar and a cheater. Who knows why people thought that, except for the fact that he WAS a liar and a cheater. But then one day Jesus invited himself over for dinner. Find out what happened next!

Have you ever lost something? How important was it to you? Jesus told a story about losing a little sheep one time. It turns out that the Shepherd in the story cared a LOT about that sheep.
Talk It Over

The Parable Of The Lost Sheep

Hey parents! Use these questions as a guide to talk over this week’s lesson about The Parable of the Lost Sheep with your child after they’ve listened to the episode!

1. Who was today's Bible story about?
   Jesus.
2. A man had 100 sheep. What sound does a sheep make?
   Baa.
3. Uh-oh. What happened when he lost one of his sheep?
   He looked and looked all around to find it. Let’s play peek-a-boo! You can pretend to be the sheep and I’ll cover my eyes then find you. Ready? Peek-a-boo sheep!
4. How did the man feel when he finally found the lost sheep?
   He was happy! He asked everyone to come celebrate. Let’s jump and clap our hands and celebrate, too.
5. Take some time to pray with your toddler. Encourage your toddler to sit with you and fold their hands, saying something like:
   God, thank you for loving us. Thank you for making us. Thank you for wanting to be our friend. Thank you that you will take care of us. We love you! Amen!

Parent Encouragement - The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Hey parents! Here's something for you to be encouraged by and get ideas to bring this Bible story into your everyday conversation with your child at home!

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Craft – I-Spy Bag

In this craft, your toddler will make an I-Spy bag filled with hidden items from the Bible story. As they look for the items in their bag, they will be reminded that the shepherd looked for the sheep. He loved the sheep, and God loves us!

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Activity – Balloon Sheep

In this activity, your toddler will have fun as they find all of the sheep like the shepherd found his lost sheep in our Bible story. The shepherd loved his sheep, and God loves us!

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Coloring Page - The Parable of the Lost Sheep

We have a variety of coloring pages to help your child remember familiar faces from this month’s lesson!

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Navigating Parenthood

Hey parents! Saddleback Parents has great training, tips, and tools to help you win. Check out part 2 of this Two Minute Tip series all about how we can help our kids hold onto faith.

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