As a parent, dealing with your kids’ nighttime fears is inevitable. At one point or another, our sweet little ones are bound to start feeling scared of the shadows on the wall, monsters under their bed, or boogeyman in the closet. Whether the fears are born from something scary or unsettling they saw on a TV show or simply from their imaginations, teaching them how to cope with their fears is such an important skill—one that they can carry with them throughout their childhoods and, hopefully, the rest of their lives!
My husband and I have found that one of the best ways we can help equip our children to deal with their nighttime jitters is by reciting Bible verses to them. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow,” and it’s so important for our children to start learning the practical relevance and power that the Word of God holds on their lives.
The cool thing, too, that we’ve seen happen by reciting these verses to them night after night is that, simply through repetition, our kids have quickly come to memorize them themselves.
I want to share with you what these verses are, and encourage you to memorize them and teach them to your kiddos too.
1) Psalm 4:8 In peace I will lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
What better verse to recite to our kids as part of their bedtime routines. This verse serves as a powerful reminder to us and them that we can lie down and sleep in peace—not in fear, not in worry, not in panic, not in anxiety, but in peace. And why are we able to lie down and sleep in peace? For the Lord alone makes us dwell in safety.
What beautiful imagery this verse elicits—I picture the presence of the Lord surrounding our children as they lie in their beds, covering them with peace and safety. When our children begin to fear, this verse helps to reset their focus away from their fears and onto the peace and safety provided by their Heavenly Father.
2) Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
This verse is a perfect one for our little ones to memorize because it is short and sweet but packs a punch! It teaches our children what to do in times of fear and who to turn to. I also love that it normalizes the experience of fear; the verse does not say, “If I am afraid,” it says, “When I am afraid,” inferring that we all feel afraid at one point or another.
Feeling afraid is normal and something we all have to deal with throughout our lives. And how important it is for our kids to learn what to do when that happens—and of course that is, trust in the Lord.
This is a good verse to quiz our kids on to lighten their mood a bit when they’re feeling really overcome by fear: we can ask them things like, “Now what does Psalm 56:3 say again? Does it say ‘When I am afraid, I will pull the covers over my head?’ Or ‘When I am afraid, I will scream as loud as I possibly can?’ Or how about ‘When I am afraid, I will turn on all the lights in the house?’” Of course our kids will laugh and respond “No!” to each one, and we can end with saying, “Oh I remember now, it says “When I am afraid, I will trust in you God!’”
It is never too early to teach our children that the Lord is worthy is to be trusted and that He is altogether faithful and for us!
3) Philippians 4:8 Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
We started reciting this verse to our daughter when she started dealing with “bad thoughts” at night. After we would put her to bed, she either would call for us or come out of her room to tell us that she “keeps having bad thoughts” about such and such. I definitely have sympathy for her in that because I think all of us at times struggle with our minds wandering into not-so-good territory. So, this verse can be helpful for us as well!
We started telling her, based on Philippians 4:8, to focus her thoughts on things that are true, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. To a six-year-old, this meant maybe thinking about the last vacation we took to Myrtle Beach and how much fun it was to play in the sand and water. Or, think about how silly your brothers were being earlier in the day when they were running laps around the kitchen while blasting the VeggieTales theme song on Alexa.
If we begin teaching our children to intentionally take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ, as referenced in 2 Corinthians 10:5, we’ll not only be preparing them to combat the negative thoughts that inevitably creep up, but we’ll also be promoting good mental health habits to last them a lifetime.
These are the top three verses that have been transformative for my children when it comes to their bedtime fears, and I hope you and your children will find them hugely helpful as well.
Have any other powerful verses to add to this list? Please comment below!
