The Essential Andrew Murray Collection includes three of the author’s nineteenth- century classics: Humility, Abiding in Christ, and Living a Prayerful Life. Each of these books are staples to any Christian library and have helped me grow in my relationship with the Lord.
The book Humility grounds us in the foundation of this chief characteristic of Christ.
“What is the incarnation but His heavenly humility, His emptying of himself and becoming man? What is His life on earth but humility; His taking the form of a servant? And what is His atonement but humility? Christ is the expression of humility.”
Murray encourages believers to exemplify Christ in our treatment of others.
“It is easy to think that we humble ourselves before God, but our humility toward others is the only sufficient proof that our humility before God is real. To be genuine humility must abide in us and become our very nature.”
“Place yourself before God in your helplessness; consent to the fact you are powerless to slay yourself; give yourself in patient and trustful surrender to God. Accept every humiliation; look upon every person who tries or troubles you as a means of grace to humble you. God will see such acceptance as proof that your whole heart desires it. It is the path of humility that leads to the full and perfect experience of our death with Christ.”
I’ve always had an inner longing/desire to be able to abide in Christ—as if there was some work or spiritual striving needed to find it. However, the book Abiding in Christ makes it clear that rest comes naturally from Jesus when we allow Him to live through us.
“There is always the thought of a work that has to be done, and even though they pray for help, still the work is theirs. They fail continually and become hopeless; and their despondency only increases their feelings of helplessness. No, wandering one; as it was Jesus who drew you when he said, “Come,” so it is Jesus who keeps you when He says, “Abide.” The grace to come and the grace to abide are both from Him alone.
“Give yourself to abide in Him. He himself will work it in you. You can trust Him to keep you trusting and abiding.”
We tend to separate knowledge and experience, wanting first to understand with our intellect before we experience a spiritual truth.
“What holds true of all spiritual truth is especially true of abiding in Christ: we must live and experience truth in order to know it. Life-fellowship with Jesus is the only school for the science of heavenly things.
“There is a habit of mind and life that precedes the understanding of truth. True discipleship consists in first following, and then knowing the Lord.”
We don’t have to know what Christ is doing in us in order to yield. It’s in the yielding and consenting to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us that we find knowledge and understanding.
This book is a great reminder that we are pleasing to God only through the power of Christ dwelling inside us. We just need to yield to the Holy Spirit who gives us the grace to draw near to God and live for Jesus.
The number one reason for not praying is lack of time. In Living a Prayerful Life, Murray confronts how prayerlessness dishonors God. A prayerless Christian is evidence of a soul that is mortally sick and weak.
Murray discusses the issue of trying to be prayerful in our own strength:
“Give up your restlessness and effort; fall helpless at the feet of the Lord Jesus; He will speak the Word, and your soul will live. This is only the beginning. It will require deep earnestness, the excercise of all your power, and a watchfulness of the entire heart—eager to detect the least backsliding. Above all, it will require surrender to a life of self-sacrifice, which God desires to see in us and that He will work out for us.”
Another great point the book reflected on is how prayerlessness causes us to weaken our sensitivity towards our own sin.
“Because of hasty and superficial communion with God, the sense of sin becomes weak and there is no motive strong enough to help you hate sin and flee from it. Nothing except secret, humble, constant fellowship with God can teach you as His child to hate sin as God hates it.”
These powerful writings of Andrew Murray inspire deeper thinking about living a life of humility, surrender, and prayer.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Hello there! I'm Valerie, a mom of four and wife of 27 years. My writing inspires others to cultivate courageous faith and find solace in trusting God, especially in moments of fear and uncertainty. Join me on this adventure as we explore the beauty of trusting God when we are afraid. 
