Andrew Murray, an author of over 240 books, has written a gem on prayer in With Christ in the School of Prayer. He divides the subject into thirty-one lessons that explore every facet of a life of prayer to which Christians are called. After each lesson, Murray has a section he titles “Lord, teach us to pray” in which he personally summarizes the lesson in prayer to the Lord, that the lesson may have its spiritual effect on the life of the one praying.
Murray initiates the discussion with the wonder of being taught how to pray by the Lord Himself, which he associates with the fact that our Father actually seeks worshippers through prayer and other means. Amazingly, this is a personal relationship with the living God, a God with whom we have the certainty of answered prayer due to the infinite fatherliness of God.
This relationship requires the believer to have a quiet, solitary place – what Murray calls “a secret place” – where he can be alone with his heavenly Father. All of this requires the finished work of Christ followed by the all-comprehensive gift of the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father.
Through what is known as “The Lord’s Prayer” Jesus taught His disciples and us how to pray and categorically what to pray. Prayer, says Murray, “must be definite, the expression of a definite need,” believing by faith that you will receive an answer, what Murray calls “the secret in believing prayer.”
Murray associates fasting, forgiving love, and the need for perseverance with a life of prayer, realizing that the chief end of prayer is that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Of course, the all-inclusive condition of answered prayer is our abiding in Christ, including His words abiding in us. Murray then develops the need to understand and acknowledge Christ as our intercessor, High Priest, and our sacrifice, leading to our boldness in prayer.
In concluding his lessons, Murray reminds believers that they are a holy priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5), calling us to a ministry of intercession through a life of prayer.
The final section of the book is an extensive sharing of the well-known nineteenth century powerful man of prayer, George Muller. This includes Muller on prayer and the Word of God, the will of God, the glory
of God, and trust in God.
This book by Andrew Murray on prayer is well-worth your time. It covers the subject thoroughly, biblically, and practically. It will strongly encourage you to desire to grow in your prayer life – or begin a prayer life – and come to realize that the living God, your loving Father, hears your every prayer and will answer your prayers. True, the answer might not be exactly what you asked for, but the all-knowing, loving God “sees around the corner” of our lives and knows what is best for us. You will grow in your life in Christ and your love for your heavenly Father as a result of reading Andrew Murray’s book.
Bill Wall
June 2024
150 Songs 