Feeling weary because your child deals with anxiety? Even if your child is going through a normal stage of feeling anxious in certain situations, these moments can be stressful. Frustration can sneak into times that would have usually been fun and happy for you both. If you can relate, here are seven Bible verses and prayers for your anxious child and some encouragement for you, too! Also, don’t forget to check out the great printables with the 7 Bible verses and prayers for your anxious child at the end.
My husband, Keith, and I were ever so grateful for our beautiful bundle of joy when she arrived almost four weeks early with an emergency c-section. In addition to the normal sleep deprivation and adjustments in those early years, we experienced some unique challenges.
Alexandra went to many doctor visits, endured medical procedures, and had three surgeries before she was three years old. Many of the visits with specialists required ten-hour round-trip car rides and two of the surgeries required air travel from our home in Louisiana to New York. At times, we faced some unknowns as we navigated the uncharted territory of caring for her. I remember reminding myself that God is good while rocking her and tearfully praying, “Lord, I know you love her even more than I do and I trust you.”
Symptoms of anxiety in a young child
Although she was a good, happy child, these experiences caused much anxiety in her and in me. If your child has anxiety, he/she may have one or more of these symptoms: sleep problems, separation anxiety, tantrums, regression, and developmental delays. Experiencing anxiety at times is part of growing up, but talking with your pediatrician about your concerns is important to determine if a health issue is causing the anxiety.
What God says about anxiety
God tells us in the Bible that anxiety weighs down a person’s heart. He also tells us to let him have all our worries and cares. Furthermore, He instructs us to pray about everything and give him thanks, and he will give us His peace which transcends understanding. His peace will guard our minds and hearts. (Proverbs 12:25, 1 Peter 5:7, Philippians 4:6-7)
Prayer for my child with anxiety
As we pray about everything and call on our Heavenly Father on behalf of our child, we invite Him to work in our child and ourselves. Here is a prayer for you to pray for him/her.
Lord, help me as ____________’s mom to teach him/her your word so that his/her heart will not be weighed down by anxiety. Help me to teach ____ to give all his/her worries to you through prayer. Help me to teach ____ to give thanks in all things. May your peace, Lord, which surpasses all understanding, guard ____’s heart and mind in you, Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Bible Verses for my child with anxiety
Teaching our children Bible verses teaches them about God with the goal of teaching them to know him in a personal relationship. The Bible is God-breathed and powerful and will bring our children comfort and equip them for life. (Psalm 119:50, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Here are seven of my favorite Bible verses for your anxious child:
1. God loves us deeply. He is full of mercy. Ephesians 2:4
2. My help comes from the Lord. He is the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:2
3. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3
4. I will sing praise to the Lord. He has been so good to me. Psalm 13:6
5. The Lord is with me. He helps me. Psalm 118:7
6. The Lord gives me strength. He keeps me safe. Psalm 28:7
7. Lord, I will give thanks to you with all my heart. I will tell about all the wonderful things you have done. Psalm 9:1
Prayer with my child for anxiety
I remember kneeling beside Alexandra’s bed each night saying, “Thank you, God, for ______________” filling in the blanks with names and things for which we were thankful. Then, when she was old enough to say names, she would fill in the blank for everyone she was grateful for, including the names of each one of her doctors. One time while praying, she even thanked God for Dr. Phil. OOPS!…. I thought she was asleep on the couch beside me when I had watched him on TV! Seriously, though, giving thanks for each doctor proved to be powerful in reducing Alexandra’s anxiety in medical environments.
As she grew, I began teaching her the four steps of prayer that I learned in my Mom’s prayer group. It’s never too early to model these steps. Just as our children learn and develop from our reading to them and modeling for them, they also learn and develop spiritually as we read the Bible and pray with them.
Teaching our children to pray
Here are four steps of prayer to teach your child:
Praise – “We tell God, our Heavenly Father, what we learn about him from our Bible verses and what we like about Him.”
Confession – “We say ‘I’m sorry’ to God when we do something wrong like not obeying our parents or not telling the truth.”
Thanksgiving – “We say ‘thank you’ to God for people and for his gifts.”
Intercession – “We ask God for help.”
How to pray the four steps of prayer with Bible verses
Here are two examples for teaching the seven Bible verses and prayers for your anxious child.
When I’m afraid, I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3
Praise: Heavenly Father, I praise you because I can trust you.
Confession: I’m sorry for the things I have done wrong. ____________________
Thanksgiving: Thank you for: ____________________
Intercession: Please help me to trust you whenever I am afraid.
Please help me: ____________________
Please help (pray for others): ____________________
The Lord is with me. He helps me. Psalm 118:7
Praise: Heavenly Father, I praise you because you are with me and you help me.
Confession: I’m sorry for the things I have done wrong. ____________________
Thanksgiving: Thank you for: ____________________
Intercession: Please help me to always remember that you are with me and that you help me.
Please help me: ____________________
Please help (pray for others): ____________________
Conclusion
Although there were some rough seasons in those early years, we grew in our faith. Spending the time to nurture Alexandra’s faith with Bible verses and prayers not only brought great peace at the time, but also equipped her for life on earth and, one day, in heaven.
I will always cherish how God comforted us and brought us through those tender years. I am ever so thankful that we have a God who hears and answers. 
Grab the 7 Bible verses with Prayer Guides for each verse in these Mom and Me printables!
Click here for these awesome verses and prayers
