Andrew Murray - Teach Me to Pray: Daily Devotions from the Works of Andrew Murray

2004 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Compiled by Daniel P. Anderson, Douglas Ed Cox, and Edward A. Elliott Sr., with Carol Rebell as style editor.

ISBN 978-1-64352-648-5

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All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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Though he lived most of his life in the nineteenth century, Andrew Murray has much to say to Christians of the twenty-first. His extensive writings encourage a fully committed, deeply personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Murray was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1828. His homeland would later benefit from his missionary efforts: evangelistic tours and his leadership of the South Africa General Mission. He received honorary doctorates from the universities of Aberdeen (where he received part of his education) and the Cape of Good Hope for his contributions to spreading the gospel of Christ.

In addition to his missionary work, Murray spent much time writing on the deeper Christian life. The titles of many of his works hint at his passion for total consecration to Christ: Absolute Surrender, The Inner Life, The Secret of Adoration, and Your Will Be Done. Some 240 works were published in his name.

Throughout his long life, Murray also ministered as a pastor in several cities, spoke at both the Northfield and Keswick Conventions, served as Moderator of the Cape Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church, and became president of the YMCA. He died in 1917.

A deeper spiritual life cannot grow without deeper daily devotion to Gods Word and to prayer.

No one knew this better than Andrew Murray. One of the best-loved and most widely read writers on the deeper Christian life, this South African pastor, preacher, and missions speaker prayed forand witnessedremarkable spiritual revival on three continents, and every day experienced the need for personal renewal.

If you share that hunger for Gods presence, this daily devotional will satisfy you with an astonishing banquet of riches. Here, thoughtfully chosen from the best of Murrays 240 books and carefully updated in todays language, are his treasured insights on prayer along with simple tools that will help you use them to draw closer to God.

Every day for a full year youll read a selection from Murrays classic devotional writingAbsolute Surrender, The Ministry of Intercession, The Prayer Life, The Secret of Power from On High, and many others. A daily scripture selection deepens your insight.

Time alone with the Lord Jesus each day is indispensable, insisted Andrew Murray. As you begin to satisfy your hunger for God with this inspiring devotional, you wont want to miss a single moment.

B e careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

P HILIPPIANS 4:67 KJV

He [Daniel] prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.

D ANIEL 6:10

The more I think of and pray about the religious situation in our country, the deeper my conviction becomes that Christians do not realize that the aim of conversion is to bring them into daily fellowship with the Father in heaven.

For the believer, taking time each day with Gods Word and in prayer is indispensable. Each day we need to wait upon God for His presence and His love to be revealed.

It is not enough at conversion to accept forgiveness of sins or even to surrender to God. That is only a beginning. We must understand that we have no power on our own to maintain our spiritual life. We need to receive daily new grace from heaven through fellowship with the Lord Jesus. This cannot be obtained by a hasty prayer or a superficial reading of a few verses from Gods Word. We must take time to come into Gods presence, to feel our weakness and our need, and to wait on God through His Holy Spirit to renew our fellowship with Him. Then we may expect to be kept by the power of Christ throughout the day.

It is my aim to help Christians to see the absolute necessity of spending time with the Lord Jesus. Without this, the joy and power of Gods Holy Spirit in daily life cannot be experienced.

Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.

2 C ORINTHIANS 4:16

All Christians, young or old, must learn the absolute necessity of fellowship with Jesus each day. This lesson is not always taught at the beginning of the Christian life. The grace we have received of the forgiveness of sins and of joy in the Holy Spirit can only be preserved by daily renewal in fellowship with Jesus Christ Himself.

Many Christians backslide because this truth is not clearly taught. Some are unable to stand against temptation or their old nature. Though they strive to do their best to fight against sin and to serve God, they have no strength. They have never really grasped the secret that the Lord Jesus will continue His work in the believer every day from heaven. But there is one condition: Time alone with the Lord Jesus each day is the indispensable condition of growth and power.

Read Matthew 11:2530. Listen to Christs word: Come to Me and I will give you rest. Let me teach you and you will find rest for your souls. Let the Lord teach you just how gentle and humble He is. Bow before Him; tell Him that you need Him and His love; He will let His love rest on you. This applies not only to young Christians but to all who love the Lord.

I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.

J OHN 15:9

The three Persons in the Godhead are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spiriteach one is different from the others. God desires to reveal Himself as a person. Each one of us is an individual diwstinct from others and standing in certain relationships to others. God will reveal Himself to us as a person, and we are called to enter into fellowship with Him.