Life in our age is defined by change. Social norms shift, crises emerge, relationships strain, and internal doubts rise. Many seek stability, something that doesn’t wobble when everything around them does. On 21 September 2025, Pr Sarah Jane Cheong presented a sermon at Glad Tidings PJ titled “Unshakable Centre”. By its very title, not to mention content, the sermon responds to the aforementioned hunger for stability: How can one anchor their life in something or Someone who remains steadfast?
In a time of uncertainty, this message reaches into the heart of what it means to stand firm amid life’s storms. Glad Tidings frames this message to their congregation but also to a wider online audience as a guide not only for spiritual resilience, but for everyday peace, purpose, and clarity.
The Core Theme: The Unshakable Centre
At its heart, Pr Sarah’s sermon argues for rooting one’s life in a center that cannot be moved. This center is typically understood, within Christian teaching, to be Jesus Christ. This is not just a passive belief, but an active, living foundation. Everything else (our values, decisions, and relationships) flows outward from and is secured by this centre. Jesus Christ is God, He has all authority, and He holds everything together.
Several aspects form the components of this unshakable centre. It brings our identity into the centre; that is, it places us in the context of a relationship and knowing who we are in relation to Jesus Christ as an anchor. Along with this comes clarity of purpose, allowing that stable centre to guide our goals and priorities.
Such an anchored relationship carries many strengths and blessings. In stormy seasons, when life’s challenges hit, the firm foundation in such a relationship is able to provide security in the storm. The centre holds us rather than us being battered around. Furthermore, the anchor brings alignment of decisions. It enables us to choose in ways consistent with the unshakable core, not merely reacting to circumstances.
Cultivating an Unshakable Centre
Most Christians know that there is an advantage in rooting our lives on Jesus Christ as the unshakable center. Yet many of us struggle with consistency in this aspect. An unshakable centre is not maintained by accident. It is nurtured through habits and choices that keep us rooted. In her sermon, Pr Sarah implies many ways in which we can cultivate an unshakable center.
The first is to be consistent in our practices. This includes discipline in prayer, Scripture reading, meditation, or any spiritual practices that keeps us tethered to the centre and connected to God’s presence and perspective. The Christian journey is also not meant to be walked alone. We must connect with our community and fellowship. There’s strength that comes from community, walking alongside others who can encourage and remind us of what is true when we forget. Surrounding ourselves with others who share and reinforce the centre helps maintain stability.
A deep relationship with Christ is not a static thing. It involves growth and much reflection and correction, and there are periodic self-examinations: “Are my choices aligning with my centre, or have I drifted?” Alongside this is learning to place our trust in that center amid uncertainty, releasing control over what we cannot change, but holding firm to what grounds us and choosing to rest in the assurance that the center holds.
The Context of the Times
In the 21st century, people often chase multiple “unstable centres” such as success, approval, comfort, novelty, social media validation, etc. These are all shifting sands. They can satisfy for a while but will eventually crumble. Nothing in this world is permanent and impervious to crisis. When any of these becomes our core, chaotic or unstable times will shake us. The message of an unshakable centre is a counter-narrative to today’s prevailing and post-modern worldview.
Because it is counter-cultural, it is natural to raise questions about such a message. It assumes one already has at least a kind of faith in Christ. What if someone does not share the Christian faith? The truth is that while the sermon is Christian in orientation, the metaphor of a steady central anchor applies more broadly: every person needs a centre strong enough to bear the weight of their life. For some, that might be framed as values like justice, love, or truth. The Christian claim is simply that Christ provides a centre unlike any other – unmoving, unchanging, and sufficient.
Having an unshakable centre does not necessarily mean that it removes all our doubts or struggles. Doubts and struggles are part and parcel of the process of growth. Even those who are rooted can feel shaken. The difference is that we are not uprooted. We may stumble, but we can return again and again to the centre that holds firm.
It brings into view that stability is a continuous process. That means that stability does not stop us from growing or changing in our lives. In fact, stability provides the very foundation for healthy growth. Though there may be occasional struggles with doubts, just as strong roots allow a tree to flourish, so a secure centre allows a person to adapt, stretch, and bear fruit without fear of collapse.
While change is inevitable and flexibility has its benefits, our adaptability belongs at the edges of life, not at the core. We may adjust how we live in response to shifting contexts, yet the centre remains firm and unchanging. Especially in times of economic, cultural, or relational upheaval, having a centre that is immovable gives emotional stability, direction when lost, courage to act in integrity, Hope, and perseverance. We are called and encouraged to build on a Rock, not on sand.
Ultimately, the sermon’s closing invitation was simple yet weighty. It encourages us to make the unshakable centre the defining anchor of our lives. We cannot avoid storms but we can stand steady through them. It is about resisting the pull of shifting trends and opinions, and instead rooting ourselves in what is lasting. It is to refuse the tyranny of circumstances or popular opinion and committing to something – or Someone (Jesus Christ) – that speaks truth when everything else is shifting. Coming only a month after a similar sermon on the storms of life, it is clear that God is calling the Malaysian Church to return and commit ourselves to the solid core and foundation of a deep and intimate relationship with Him.
To live in and from such a centre is to embody peace in a world of turmoil, to hold hope when others despair, and to walk with courage when the future is uncertain. In the process, it also enables us to become a source of stability for those around us, pointing them to the same firm ground. Living in the unshakable core is not rigid inflexibility, but rooted resilience.
Storms will always come. Change will continue to test us. But those who have anchored themselves to the unshakable centre will not only endure. They will shine as reminders that stability is possible even in an unsteady world.
This article is an independent initiative. It was written through the impartation the writer received from Pr Sarah’s sermon. It is not affiliated directly with Pr Sarah or with Glad Tidings PJ.
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