Andrew Murray was born in Graaff Reinet where his father, Andrew Murray Snr was the Dutch Reformed Church Missionary. He and his brother were sent to Scotland to study there and came under the influence of spiritual giants Robert Murray Mc Cheyne, Horatius Bonar and William Burns while there. They both went to Utrecht next to study theology. They got involved with a revival while there and returned to South Africa when ordained. It was there too that Andrew Murray was truly saved describing the experience as ‘casting himself of Christ’. As minister, his first allocation was the Orange River District which comprised an area of 50,000 square miles. With the extensive travel, preaching and other activities his health suffered, and he was forced to return to England to rest. Upon his return, he took up his next position at Worcester in the Western Cape where he was not only involved in the church as minister, but also took part in the newly opened Stellenbosch theological seminary. Zealous for Christian education, he founded the Bible and Prayer Union as well as the Huguenot Seminary for education in which women could train as teachers. His next appointments were in Cape Town (The Grote Kerk) and thereafter in Wellington in which a revival broke out. His preaching and writings were to bring him international fame.
Murray believed that failure in Christians were due to half-hearted surrender, disbelief in the full power of prayer and doubting the power of the Holy Spirit’s to work in a life. His stressed the essentialness of full surrender. His tracts, sermons and written work will continue to bless and challenge lives until the end of time!