Date: 13-07-25
Preacher: Ps Brenda Lim
Title: Inter-related: Unceasing Prayer and Abiding

Inter-related: Unceasing Prayer and Abiding

​Ps Brenda confessed that she is no prayer warrior nor intercessor but still she prays for the love of God.  Her main biblical reference for this morning’s message was taken from John 15:5-10. In reference to the biblical reference above, she made the point that other than soul winning and fruitfulness as positive outcomes, there are also answered prayers, joy and love.

With the above as lead-in to her message, she framed for the congregation that having an unceasing prayer life is related to having an abiding relationship with God. To abide means to stay closely connected to God. She likened it to our persistence to touch God’s heart.

Then she went on to discussed 3 ways of abiding:

1. Abiding in Christ

   Ps Brenda cautioned that it is possible to be “in Christ” yet not to abide by Him on a relational level. It’s much like a father and son staying in the same household but not talking. Similarly, we may just attend church because it is Sunday.

   Hence Ps Brenda said it’s good to remember the time when we fell in love as a couple and to return to our first love with Christ. She highlighted that in 2 Timothy 3:4-5, the Bible warned that in these last days people will be lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God and we may just be having a form of godliness on the outside. Thus our priority should be our personal relationship with Christ because apart from Him, we can do nothing.

2. Abiding in His Word

   Ps Brenda asked the congregation upon what they lean on when they are forced to face the reality of life. Her answer? We must get back to the basic, to anchor our prayer and faith in God’s Word.

   She then gave a personal testimony that after she had served in the prison and drug-related ministry for 30 years, she felt the prompting of God to go into healthcare. She bargained with God then out of fear as it was the Covid pandemic then. Then within months of obeying the call, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. She developed double vision and had to be on steroids for 1 year and 7 months which brought about adverse side effects. God then revealed to her Jeremiah 29:11-12 which did not just bring her comfort but also to rely on God’s Word and Promises.  I felt especially poignant her sharing of her being ticked off by her effort to bring her unsaved family members to God and despite that, to continue to rely on God’s promises and pray for them. If this is not a public declaration of her faith and that God’s word is her pillar of strength, I don’t know what is.

3. Abiding in His Love

   Ps Brenda asked that if God was willing to give His son, what else would He hold back. She shared that God is the Source of our love and as we abide in God’s love, we are to obey His command.  Loving God and loving one another is the foundation to our unceasing prayer. You cannot give what you don’t have in your heart and that just might be an obstacle for God to answer our prayers. However, in mitigation, she said we have a God who understands our struggles if only we are willing to rely on His Word.

In conclusion Ps Brenda summarised that the concept of unceasing prayer is our abiding awareness and connection with God throughout the day, and not just during set prayer times.

As an afterword, I now understand what it means when she said how do you love God when you don’t have God’s love in your heart. My enlightenment came from the beginning of her third abiding and that is God is the Source of our love.