What do your children fear? This is a question that every parent must be able to answer. If you don’t know what fears your children have, you won’t be able to adequately address the concerns of their hearts. Thus, the question is not whether your children will fear, but what do they fear. This requires that you have an intimate understanding of the way your child views his world. This is why listening well to your children is essential. Each child is different. It doesn’t matter how old your children are. They all have fears that must be understood. Each is in need of the same renewal and victory over sin that is found in Christ alone.
Psalm 62 says this:
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
The direct implication of these words is that all of us, including our children, will be shaken by life in some way. This fact is unavoidable. This Psalm teaches that it is not enough to offer a rational explanation of why there are no scary creatures in the closet. In addition, you must also point to God as the ultimate reason for security. He is the reason for not being afraid. Learning to love God is the first step to being free of being dominated by fear.
Just because there is nothing scary in closet now, doesn’t mean you can always guarantee that there won’t be at some point in the future, as in 5 minutes from now. This is how children think. And they are right! The secure guarantee that you can offer is that God is always God, he is always good. God will always be our fortress no matter what is in the closet.