Daniel 6:10-23
My Story
Sixth grade was a tough year for me. My church was dividing and my mom and stepfather were getting a divorce. And then school became rough. I had two best friends at school. We did everything together, until one day they shut me out. It felt like a betrayal. All of a sudden, I was all alone. I prayed constantly that God would help me get through it, that God would send someone to be my friend. And He did. A month or so after all of this happened, a new girl came to my class. Her name was Jessica as well, and like me, she had a blended family. My world was falling apart, and she was a bright spot in it. We did homework together, spent time at each other’s houses, and became inseparable. She helped me through a dark time in my life. Then we graduated from elementary school, and she was gone. Her family moved suddenly, and I never saw her again. But I am convinced that God sent her to me, helping me find the strength and courage I needed to get through the year. At the time it was like she was an angel, protecting me from the mouths of the lions.
Your Story
Has there been a time in your life when you felt like God sent someone to help you at just the right time? Did that person remain in your life or was he/she only there for that specific time? Did that person teach you something or help you grow? Tell your story to your children.
The Bible Story
Read Daniel 6:10-23 as a family.
Daniel trusted that God was going to get him through what must have been a terrible time, being thrown into the lion’s den. Daniel never gave up and he continued to pray to God. And God sent an angel, not to pull him out of the pit, but instead to be right there with him, holding the mouth of the lion closed.
God does the same thing for us. Rarely does God pull us directly out of a situation. Rather, He is there with us, in the midst of our struggles and our suffering, helping us navigate it and find our way through. Sometimes God does this in the form of others, be they angels of whom we are unaware, or people who care and are willing to be there for us in the midst of our suffering. Other times it is only God who is there, walking right beside us. In all of these times we, like Daniel, can trust that God will always be there for us.
Discussion
• Ask your children if they have ever felt like God put someone in their lives at just the right time. Discuss this as a family.
• Has anyone in your family been the person who was there at the right time for someone else?
• Talk about ways God has helped you and your family through difficult times.
Action
Be intentional this week about being open to others, particularly when they are having a hard time. If you or your family knows of someone who is having a difficult time, find ways to help that person. It may be as simple as baking cookies for someone, or helping another family by picking up their children from school. Be open to letting God use you this week, this month, and this year.
Prayer
Thank God for the people He has placed in your lives when you all have needed them. Thank God that He is always there no matter what. Ask God to help you be open to being there for others when they need you.
Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.
Kevin Head began serving as Minister to Young Families at First Baptist Roswell, Georgia, in February 2012. He has pastored three churches in Kentucky and more recently served as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Lumberton, North Carolina. In 2007, Kevin and his wife, Amy, began a ministry-based counseling practice called New Perspectives for Life in East Cobb, Georgia. He is a graduate of Furman University (B.A.) and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Ph.D., M.Div.) in Louisville, Kentucky. Kevin was ordained by the First Baptist Church of Belvedere, South Carolina. His model of ministry is based on John 8 and the amazing, continual grace of Jesus Christ. Kevin and Amy have two children, Jenna and Joshua.
