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The Fear Prayer

"Dear Jesus, 
please help me to sleep well 
and have good dreams and good thoughts, 
not bad dreams and bad thoughts
In Jesus' name, 
Amen."
-Parker Family Fear Prayer

"God is bigger than the Boogie Man. 
He's bigger than Godzilla or the monsters on TV. 
Oh God is bigger than the Boogie Man 
and He's watchin' out for you and me."
-VeggieTales


So growing up in the Parker household we had/have (still use it with Littlest Brother) this thing called the Fear Prayer. My parents started it one night when I couldn't get to sleep because of a bad dream. I don't remember now what it was that scared me so badly. I was a creative kid with a highly active imagination....it could have been any number of things. Anyway, this particular night I couldn't get to sleep, the "monsters" were really bothering me. So after coming into my room and re-assuring me that it was alright, nothing was going to hurt me, that it was just a bad dream, Mom suggested we pray to Jesus to take away the bad thoughts. She took my hand and I repeated the words after her. Instantly the "monsters" vanished, the panicky state that I had been in just moments before was replaced with a calm. I was finally able to go to sleep. 

Ever since that night when four-year-old Drea prayed the Fear Prayer for the first time, we've used it or a variation of it many times throughout the years. In fact, I just prayed it with Littlest Brother. Each time we'd pray it as kids our fears would instantly be forgotten and we'd fall right to sleep. We just knew that King Jesus, (or Superhero of Superheroes Jesus/ Master of all Jedi Jesus in Littlest Brother's case) was fighting away the bad guys and that we'd be perfectly safe in our beds. Just saying and believing the simple words that we prayed with our parents worked so much better than any reassuring words they could have said to us. 

Now as we got older and started to learn more how to listen to fear we would doubt that King Jesus heard us. Instead of listening to Him saying "I've got this. Don't be afraid." We'd listen to the voices of the Prince of Lies instead. He'd whisper things like, "Are you sure He's listening? You know He has a lot of people asking Him for stuff right now. Are you sure your prayers didn't get lost in the jumble?" Those whispers would feed our fear and doubt undermining our confidence in Jesus.

I think that's why Jesus told His disciples and those listening to Him that in order to really find Him, to really take hold of what He offers, we have to trust Him like a child would. When you're a child, it really is easy to have an unfiltered belief/trust in Jesus. To a child it's easy, you say Jesus is the King and that He is protecting them, that He's bigger than any bad thoughts or dreams they have, they'll believe you. It is only when we begin to get older, begin to learn more about the world and learn more about fear that the simplicity of Jesus is lost. We tend to overcomplicate things and distrust it because it can't be that simple, can it? 


Final Thoughts: When you begin to get bogged down and fear and doubt begin to move in, just whisper a simple prayer believing that Jesus will chase away the "monsters" and give you peace. It really is that simple. Jesus wants you to bring your fears to Him, He wants to help you, but you have to ask for it and trust that He will deliver.

Side Note: Just a little while ago when Littlest Brother was saying his version of the Fear Prayer, it felt like God Himself was leaning His ear into the room just to hear what Littlest Brother had to say, it was really cool! :) 


"When I am afraid,
I will trust in You"
Psalm 56:3 (HCSB)

2 He called a little child and set him before them, 3 and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever [a]humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:2-4 (AMP)

" Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you."
Isaiah 41:10 (MSG)


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