Praying Together
Pastor Eugene expresses what a blessing it is to be able to gather with God's people for prayer as he shares with us what the church prayed for during last Friday's prayer meeting under the sky.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”
Last Friday’s prayer meeting began with this call from Psalm 121:1-4 to look to our God for help. He is the Creator of all things, and He is ever present to guard His people. In the face of tough and uncertain times, we can continue to trust in Him. As it says in Jude 24, God is “able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy”.
Song Huat led the meeting, which was held in the open area on the top floor of the church building. Gathered under the clear night sky, we prayed for the following:
1. For the world and nation
We sought God’s mercy in curbing the outbreak of COVID-19 around the world, including the nations most affected by the virus: China, South Korea, Iran, Italy, Japan and Singapore. We also prayed for the governments in these countries to have wisdom.
We prayed for healthcare workers and cleaning staff, who are at the frontlines of dealing with the outbreak.
We prayed for believers around the world to press on in faith, even while facing worrying circumstances.
2. For missions
We prayed for the Khmer people group in Cambodia. In a population of around 14.5 million, less than 2 per cent are evangelical Christians. The vast majority of Khmers are Buddhists. We prayed for God to send more labourers into this field, and for hearts to be opened to the gospel.
We also prayed for our supported missionary, Deborah Teo, who is working in Cambodia. We thanked God for her ministry among some 200 children from a number of villages. We asked for God to grant gospel fruit, and for Deborah and her team to be strengthened spiritually and physically.
Next, we prayed for the short-term missions team visiting Kathy’s Home in Pua, Thailand from March 6-8. They will be conducting a vacation Bible school for the children in the home. We prayed that the teachers will be faithful to God’s word, and that the children will respond well to the gospel.
We also prayed for our supported workers Tzi Ping and Heidi, who returned to Indonesia earlier this week after a 6-month-long furlough in Heidi’s home country, Switzerland.
3. For church ministry and body life
We prayed for the audio-visual, communications and ushering ministries. They have been heavily involved in helping with GBC’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. We thanked God for all these faithful saints, and asked that God continue to strengthen them. We also gave thanks for those who have volunteered to help with temperature screening on Sundays.
We prayed for God to bless the couples who were recently wed: Joel and Jesslyn (on Feb 22), and Joshua and Tiffany (on Feb 29). We asked that God establish their marriages in Christ and His word.
Keng Teck, a newcomer to GBC, shared and encouraged us to press on in being a welcoming and hospitable community. He is grateful for the many GBCers who have helped him settle into a new church home. He is also thankful for the faithful preaching and teaching of the Word.
It is indeed a blessing to be able to gather for prayer as God’s people. When we do so, we express our shared dependence on God, who is our constant refuge and help. See you at this month’s prayer meeting on Friday, March 27!