A few years ago, one of my daughters was trapped in a season of deep anxiety. An elementary schooler at the time, she was battling intrusive thoughts, struggling to fall asleep, and worried in just about every direction. It was painful to watch, and her suffering lodged deeply in my wife’s heart and mine.
I was praying for her one morning before the house came alive with little feet running down the stairs, asking the Father for wisdom to know how to come alongside her in a tangible way that would lead her into His comforting presence. She was a true believer, had followed Jesus in baptism, and yet was struggling to taste the solid joys of all God is for her in Christ.
As a biblical counselor, I knew what resources and homework I would give to an adult walking through the same struggles. Children, however, are far less resourced than their adult brothers and sisters; there are fewer tools aimed at engaging their hearts directly with the same truths that God intends for both His sheep and His lambs! I looked, but I couldn’t find just the right resource aimed at the heart of anxiety for kids from a truly biblical worldview. Yet I felt led to help my daughter, and the result was a book for elementary and middle school kids titled Walking With God When I’m Afraid: 30 Biblical Anchors for Anxious Young Hearts. In God’s kindness, it was recently released by Shepherd Press, and it is my prayer that it would be a practical help for struggling kids as well as the parents, grandparents, and counselors who come alongside them.
Each of the 30 anchors focus on one or two Bible texts that speak into the heart of anxiety. The short chapters help children to understand biblical truth and how God intends to free them from the life-dominating experience of fear. Every chapter ends with a section called “Believe-Pray-Do”: a brief summary of the main truth, a written prayer based on the Scripture in focus, and a few practical assignments to drive biblical truths into the soul. Lastly, because parents are the primary shepherds of their children, each anchor has a corresponding page in a Parents’ Discipleship Guide at the back of the book, with discussion prompts to continue the conversation.
I’d like to share with you just a few of the precious truths that help anchor anxious hearts in the goodness of God.
Fear’s End Begins with the Gospel
Fear and worry only entered into the human experience because of sin. We were not created to be anxious, but “to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever” (the first truth children learn in the Westminster Shorter Catechism)! This means that there can only be one final answer to anxiety’s nasty presence: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It’s no coincidence that at the moment hope was born in the form of Mary’s Son, the angelic announcement to a group of terrified shepherds aimed at alleviating their fear:
“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” (Luke 2:10-11)
Why should strong shepherds not be afraid in the face of that which is truly startling (yes—the appearance of the heavenly host qualifies)? Because a Savior has come.
The coming of Jesus to save us from our sins is the beginning of the end of all fears. The eternal Son of God took to Himself the fullness of human nature, except for sin, so that He might live righteously under God’s Law, suffer the wrath of God in place of sinners, and then rise victorious; and He’s returning one day to make all things new! This Gospel strikes at the heart of anxiety and fear. In fact, at the renewal God will wipe away every tear from His children’s eyes, including the anxious tears (Revelation 21:4).
The LORD My Keeper Never Sleeps
Nighttime ramps up anxiety. One of the common experiences we learn about in the counseling room is that those with life-dominating fear have a hard time falling asleep. Grandma may have taught us to pray, “Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep,” but worry teaches us that as soon as we lay down, we need to worry about what might go wrong and stay awake to guard against it! Bedtime is hard for fearful hearts, not least of all the hearts of children.
What truth comforts the souls of kids who are afraid to fall asleep? How about the truth that the Lord keeps His people safe, and He never sleeps. Because He is always watchful over the ones He loves, the ones He loves can truly rest.
“He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep….
The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.” (Psalm 121:3a-4, 7)
The dark is unsettling even to those who are not beset with anxious worry, but the darkness seems all the more daunting to children whose hearts are primed for fear. Knowing that God loves them, cares for them, and is watching over them is a precious balm to help them snuggle into His loving arms as they receive the gift of sleep (Psalm 127:2).
Jesus Did His Father’s Will in the Scariest Time
What about when anxiety threatens to become panic—when children are caught in the stormy seas of fear? How can they cast an anchor to stabilize their souls so they are not carried adrift with the surge of every terrifying thought? Thanks be to God, the Savior who came to save them knows what it’s like to face the most harrowing fear and emerge victorious. In the hours before the cross, Jesus laid His burden before His Father:
“He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’” (Matthew 26:39)
Jesus not only models how to anchor one’s soul in God in the scariest times, but His submission to the Father in His suffering opened the way into God’s presence for all who trust in His finished work. We can go to Him with our anxieties, and He promises to compassionately help us (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Shepherding Children’s Anxious Hearts
While study Bibles may come in children’s and student editions, the Word of God is perfect, complete, and sufficient for saints of every age. As the youngest generations right now experience arguably the greatest levels of anxiety in modern history, the Bible remains changeless, just as changeless as the character and help our Savior freely offers to all who believe and trust in Him. God desires to meet the hearts of fearful children and minister to them His peace that surpasses understanding. May He grant us wisdom and grace in shepherding His lambs to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
