Elementary Level, Block 7—Salomon, Kings and Prophets
Week 68
Daniel—Having the Right Companions
Point to Emphasize: It is important to have the right companions; the ones that will give us good advice and will help us follow God and follow our parents’ way.
Reading Reference: Daniel 2
Memory Verse: He who walks with wise men will be wise… (Proverbs 13:20)
Story Sample:
Here in children’s meetings we have many secrets to share with you which will help you grow up in the best way! As you are growing up you must know one important thing. It is not good to be alone. You might say, “I have friends! I have friends at school and in my neighborhood and we play together!” And I would answer, “To have friends is very good. However, to have companions is much better!” So, what are companions? Are companions and friends the same thing? No. A friend is someone with whom you share the same likes and whom you spend a lot of time with. Let’s say you like to play with Legos and there is another boy who lives in your neighborhood and you get together to play with Legos. That’s a friend! Now, you would say, what is a companion? A companion is someone together with whom you fear and love God and you respect one another. As companions you can read the Bible and sing children’s songs together. In this way, when you encounter a problem, you can help one another with advice or caring words.
The Bible has the most awesome stories about companions! In the Bible we find a story about four brilliant teenage boys who were companions. They were not alone. They had one another. They each had the best companions. Who can tell me their names? Right! Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. Now, one day these four teenage boys were in REAL danger. They were in danger of being destroyed. Daniel was the first to hear of their trouble. What do you think he did when he found out? Did he decide, “I’ll run away right now and get to safety by myself”? No! Did he decide, “I’ll go and fight whoever wants to destroy us”? No! Daniel went to his companions. He must have known he couldn’t solve this problem all by himself—he needed help! Not just from anybody, but from someone who would help him do the right thing—seek God and follow what he had learned from his parents when he was growing up.
I have never been in REAL danger. But I’ve had situations here and there when I was in trouble and needed advice. My parents moved me to a different school when I was in second grade. In my new school I had to make new friends. After getting to know my classmates better, I realized that some of them would give me advice that was not good. They would try to get me do things that were different from what my parents had taught me. Then I started paying attention to the classmates who, when I was in trouble, would help me be obedient to my teacher, follow instructions, or help others who were in need. These were the classmates whom I chose to call my companions. Even today I keep in contact with them. They always gave me good advice. [Storyteller, insert your own story about choosing the right companions, those who would give you good advice and would help you follow God and follow your parents’ way.]
When you spend time with someone, you will eventually do what they do. So, we need to be VERY careful when we choose a companion.
So, Daniel went to his companions and told them what was happening. Because they had been raised in families who knew God, they knew they needed to pray. So they did! And do you know what happened after they prayed? God answered their prayers! Daniel knew he could never find an answer to his problem by himself. This teenage boy knew he needed to go to his companions. He needed to go to the companions that would give him good advice. Daniel’s companions helped him talk to God and follow what they learned from their parents.
As you are growing up, it will be important that you have companions who will give you good advice and help you follow God and your parents’ way. We should carefully choose companions who will help each other. You help them and they help you with good advice and encouragement. You can also have companions that are older than you. They can lead you and you can listen to them and receive help. By having good companions we can be like Daniel who prayed together with his companions.