Last night my husband and I were talking about whether we’d let our baby sleep in the bed with us when she got older, and I started to think about my own childhood. My parents always let me sleep in their bed when I woke up scared. I remember many nights calling out for my mom. She never failed to come into my room and comfort me.
Sometimes afterward I was fine staying in my own “big girl” bed, but sometimes I just needed to be with my parents. To me, there was no place safer. If I was scared of the darkness, or of the monsters I imagined lurking under the bed, when I was with my parents those things weren’t so scary anymore.
Fears look quite a bit different as you grow up. Now, I’m afraid of bad things happening, of illness, of disappointing my friends or family. And it doesn’t always feel like there’s a place I can run to where those fears simply melt away like they did when I was a kid. And yet, that longing for safety hasn’t gone away—it’s just harder to admit as an adult.
Somewhere along the way we just lose the instinct to cry out for help. We carry our fears quietly, tucking them inside instead of reaching out the way we once did. Instead, we tell ourselves things like, I just need to get over it. Or, I can push through this. Or even, If I ignore these fears, maybe they’ll go away. Sometimes we even berate ourselves for having fears at all.
But the truth is, fear is part of living in a broken world. Sometimes it rises from our own human frailty, and other times it’s stirred up as an attack from the enemy. The Bible describes fear as a snare (Proverbs 29:25), a form of slavery (Hebrews 2:15), and even a weight that makes hearts tremble (Psalm 55:4–5).
Fear doesn’t simply vanish on its own—it lingers, shaping our thoughts and holding us back until we bring it before the Lord. Scripture is honest about this reality: fear is a powerful and persistent adversary, but it is never greater than the One who delivers us.
Just like I used to run to my parents, I can run to my Heavenly Father. He’s the One who comforts, who would be there to listen when I call out in the middle of the night, who welcomes me close when I’m afraid.
The monsters may not be hiding under the bed anymore, but fear still lurks in our hearts—and God is the only one strong enough to truly silence it.
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’”
Romans 8:15
I love this verse because it reflects the exact sentiment I had as a child. Whenever I’m afraid, I can still cry out, “Father!”
When left undealt with, fear can control us, influence us, and change us in many ways. It can bring anxiety, depression, and create a barrier between us and the peace of God. It’s easy to become chained to our fears and let them rule us.
But we’re reminded, when we cry out “Father” the Lord hears us, comforts us, and frees us from the bondage of fear.
Fear will always try to creep in—it’s part of being human. But we don’t have to stay trapped in it. God has given us His Spirit, His promises, and His presence as our refuge.
The next time fear whispers in the dark, we can do what the Bible instructs us to do: call out, trust, and lean on the One who delivers. Just like a child running into their parent’s arms, we are invited to run to our Father, confident that His love is stronger than our fears.
