Subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

December 8, 2025
Moving from Results to Communion
LISTEN ONLINE

consecration
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

Jesus, I belong to you.

I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.

Jesus, we belong to you.

Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
scripture
Philippians 4:4–9 (NIV)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

consider this
A couple of years ago, I had a horrible bout of nighttime panic attacks. I would fall asleep and, about fifteen minutes later, I’d wake up trembling and gasping for air, with my heart racing, and in a state of utter terror. It would take me hours to get back to sleep and, at its worst, was happening about five nights a week and went on for months.

I did everything I knew to do to alleviate the problem. I shared with close friends and pastors, went to counseling, talked with a doctor, read Scripture before bed, deleted social media, gathered friends to fast and pray with me, developed a nighttime routine to help myself relax, reduced my caffeine intake, and much, much more. During this time, if someone told me to “try praying about it,” I think I would have internally screamed a few choice words and externally left the conversation as quickly as possible (on a good day).

I felt like I was in a constant state of prayer, and scriptures like Philippians 4 left me feeling confused and frustrated. I wanted prayer to fix my anxiety. I thought it was a simple formula: A + B = C. “Okay, God, I said my prayers. Now, please slow my heart rate, still my mind, and give me more than four hours of sleep. Thanks!” As I wrestled with what seemed to be a conflict between the promises of Scripture and the reality of my current situation, I discovered prayer is more than a formula for reducing anxiety—it’s an invitation to intimacy.

Whenever I had a panic episode, my mind was so scattered I couldn’t think clearly, let alone pray. I slept with a Bible next to my bed and read psalms out loud, shaking, clinging to the promises of God and praying my way through the Scriptures until I fell back asleep.

Over time, the episodes started happening less and less and, slowly but surely, they went away altogether. That season of my life was pretty awful and I still struggle to make sense of it. But I do know this: I know God more deeply and am more convinced that He’s the only one who can truly give us peace.

Peace didn’t come in the way I expected—immediately after saying the right prayers; it came through intimacy with Him. The promises of His presence became more beautiful and desirable and precious to me. I look back on those moments of pain and am keenly aware of His presence with me. His delay in answering my prayers actually brought a deeper level of healing and restoration in me than had it been immediate.

I know the Scriptures in a way I wouldn’t have known them and read them in a way I would not have read them. I now realize that in clinging to the promises of God during those moments, I was also following the exhortation: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (v. 8). What we think about and how we think about it influences how we live and respond to the world. This is why cognitive behavioral therapy, a common treatment for anxiety, focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts, reframing them, and responding to situations more effectively.

True, lasting peace comes from the secret place. Peace is ultimately a fruit of the spirit which comes to bear through an abiding life with God. Prayer isn’t a quick fix to deal with our fear or anxiety; it’s a lifeline that fuels abiding and brings us into awareness of the presence of God with us. In prayer, we surrender control, embrace our own limitations, and declare our dependence on and need for God.

This is why we are exhorted to pray when faced with anxiety. Not for instant results or solutions, but for deep communion with the one who Himself is peace. Not so we can experience a feeling of peace momentarily, but come to know peace personally. Peace is not found in the absence of anxiety, but in the presence of God.

response prompts
How does the perspective that prayer is less about solving problems or quick solutions and more about deepening intimacy with God change your understanding of prayer?
What helps you fix your mind on what is true, noble, and lovely? What would it look like for you to do that right now?
Is there any concern or anxiety you would like to bring to God in prayer?
prayer
Father, thank You for Your nearness. I bring any anxiety I’m carrying to You, and I release it. I ask that I would come to know You more deeply, and be more aware of Your presence with me. I receive Your peace. Help me to fix my mind on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. Amen.

sing
Today, we will sing "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus" (hymn 163) from our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer's Praise.

for the awakening,
Anna Grace Legband
Anna Grace Legband is Associate Director of Events at Seedbed, supporting leaders and local churches within the New Room network as they sow for a great awakening. She and her husband, Brandon, are involved in ministry and community life at Arise Church in Lexington, Kentucky.

Post it, share it, or simply hit "forward." Your word-of-mouth remains our most impactful way of inviting others into this mission—sharing our story is as simple, joyful, and powerful as planting seeds!

Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
Share with a Friend Share with a Friend
Sow much more.

Join us over the forty days of Lent for Jesus Asking, as J. D. weaves together Scripture and stories to enrich our journey to the cross with Jesus.

Starting with what he calls The Question of All Questions—"Who do you say that I am?"—J. D. unfolds the compelling story of how his mentor taught him three transformational questions.

Simple and profound, these questions will awaken your faith and deepen your walk with Jesus.

We have books and a church kit available now to order!

As requested, our Sermon on the Mount flash card deck is here!

Created for young and old alike, featuring the entire Sermon on the Mount—the greatest sermon in the history of the world—with accompanying illustrations designed to aid lifelong rememberization. May these cards help the seeds of God’s Word take deep root in your life as you sow the love of God in your heart, home, church, and city. Order your sets for Christmas now!

The Wake-Up Call exists because of the generosity of our Seed Team—faithful readers and listeners like you. Together, your gifts make it possible for Seedbed to offer the Wake-Up Call, Bible studies, and sow much more into the lives of our communities. If you’re not already part of the Seed Team, we’d love to invite you to join us in this good and growing work.
Join the Seed Team!

Copyright © 2025 Seedbed, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Website
Unsubscribing from this email removes you from all our lists. It may prevent us from fulfilling your product orders, too. To be removed from this list only, click here to update your preferences. If you're sure you'd like to be removed from ALL Seedbed, Wake-Up Call, and New Room emails, click here to unsubscribe from all.