The School of Prayer

Written By Ashley McCoy

The Book - With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray

A Summary

With Christ in the School of Prayer is a classic on prayer, first published in 1885.  It is a short book, but not necessarily a quick read.  Murray composed 31 lessons on prayer, based on the words of Christ and what the Bible says about prayer.  Murray challenges you to take God at His word when He says things like, “how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him” (Matt. 7:11b) or “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you” (7:7) or “Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received it and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24).  

In the introduction, Murray writes, “We have become so accustomed to limiting the wonderful love and the large promises of our God that we cannot read the simplest and clearest statements of our Lord without the qualifying clauses by which we hedge them in and explain them away.  If there is one thing I think the church needs to learn, it is that God intends for prayer to be answered.”  According to Murray, we can do nothing more and nothing less than learn how to pray rightly.  

In learning to pray rightly, we must learn how to surrender our whole selves to God.  Everything we do must be motivated by our love for God and our desire to be with Him.  Murray writes, “We begin to see that the desire for the glory of the Father is not something that we can awaken and present to our Lord just when we get ready to pray.  No, it is only when the whole life, in every aspect, is given up to God’s glory, that we can really pray to his glory too” (79-80).  The ultimate object of every prayer is to pray to the glory of God.  

I will admit that I struggled with different aspects of this book, particularly the sections where Murray discussed when prayers were not answered.  This is an aspect of prayer that has troubled people for ages, and I obviously do not propose to resolve the issue today.  However, I do recognize that I need to do more research and dig into God’s Word on the issue as well.  


I do intend to reread Murray’s book because there was simply too much to digest for just one reading.

If I were to sum up Andrew Murray’s lessons, I would say this: Prayer is both a privilege and a power that should not be taken lightly.  We must take God at His word and pray, with surrendered hearts and wills, to the Father.  Our focus and priority must always be bringing glory to the Father.  

A Reflection

While reading this book, I found myself thinking of three questions: 1) What am I learning about prayer? 2) What am I struggling with in prayer? 3) How have my prayers been changing?  To be honest, there was a fourth: How am I being convicted?  However, some of those responses were pretty personal, so I’ll just focus on the first three in this post.

In keeping with the threes, I would like to share three “answers” for each question.  I encourage you to consider each question in turn as well.

What am I learning about prayer?

First, God knows what we need and what we ask before we do (see Matt. 6:8).  So, why then do we pray?  The conclusion I have come to is that we pray because we have a relationship with God, and that communication is key to any relationship.  We pray because it opens our hearts more fully for God to work in us.  Even when our prayers ask questions or express doubts, our prayers are still an expression of our faith.  God can use those prayers to continue growing our faith and transforming our hearts and minds so they align more fully with Him.

I am also learning that prayer can be enormously powerful, and it can be most obvious when we are more specific.  God wants us to communicate with Him.  While He knows all about our situations, He invites us to talk about them with Him because, in doing so, we invite Him into those situations with us.  When we pray specific prayers regarding the ins and outs of our daily lives, our relationships, the things we’re struggling with, the things we’re excited about, etc., we invite God’s Spirit to work in and through each one of us.

Lastly, there is no situation too big or too small that we cannot bring them all to God in prayer.  I find that I often focus on the big things and not so much on the little things.  I think they are too insignificant to bring before the God of the Universe.  Yet, this is where I am mistaken.  The small, insignificant, and ordinary is where we live our lives for the most part.  By bringing all the details to God – big and small – we invite Him into every aspect of our lives.  He loves us, so the small things that matter to us also matter to Him.

What am I struggling with in prayer?

One of the ways that I have been struggling in prayer is when I have been told to wait.  Currently, I am unsure why I am waiting.  It seems to be a message I have been living with for several years now, but for what and why, I do not know.  While I was contemplating this particular issue, though, I had a realization.  Maybe it’s not so much about waiting but about growing.  For plants to grow strong and withstand storms, they must first grow deep.  Their roots must be developed.  So perhaps, what I have been viewing as waiting is, in fact, a growing season.  It is something I still need to consider more.

While I have been learning or being reminded of lessons in fresh ways, I am also struggling with some of those lessons.  For instance, I struggle with praying specifically, which also ties into my third struggle, which is praying for all the things.  These two situations go hand-in-hand for me.  I find this interesting since I have found that when I pray specifically, often for the “small” things, I tend to recognize God at work more in resolving the “small” issues or guiding me through day-to-day concerns.  I do not think He is working any less on the “big” issues, but I can simply see Him at work more clearly in the small moments when I have invited Him in to help, guide, fix, or change something.  This does not always mean that He answers my prayers in the way that I have asked, but I am more primed to pay attention to Him and His ways.  Because of all this, I find it interesting that I still struggle to pray specifically and in everything.  I wonder if it has more to do with my own issues of self-worth.  If I don’t ask, I can’t be as disappointed.

How have my prayers been changing?

Nonetheless, my prayers have been changing.  I have noticed myself praying more frequently throughout my days and looking for God in each moment.  I have worked on becoming more specific in my prayers, too.  Journaling tends to be my preferred method for my more in-depth prayers, since it helps me focus, and, in doing so, I found that I have started to adjust how I talk to God in those moments.  Lastly, I have started looking at prayers in a more relational way.  I see more and more how praying opens a conversation between God and me, and it’s just as much about me talking as it is me listening, if not more so!

To end things today, I encourage you to consider your own prayers.  What are you learning about prayer?  What are you struggling with?  How are your prayers changing?  To put it another way – What does prayer reveal about your relationship with God and how you view Him?  

The questions I wrestle with do not always leave me with comfortable answers, but I am never so discouraged that I want to give up.  I thank God for His grace and mercy because looking into my heart and reflecting on my life are not my favorite pastimes.   But God in His mercy still meets me in the mess, and I take comfort in knowing I am not condemned (John 3:17), my sin is washed clean (1 John 1:9), and Christ’s own righteousness now covers me (2 Cor. 5:21).  


We are each on our own unique journeys with God in this life.  We do not need to be afraid to examine our own hearts and lives, God will meet us in the mess and give us grace.  To quote Paul: “...he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:6).  Each day, we can commit to learning how to pray and live rightly for and with God.

A Practice -Liturgical (Scripted) Prayers

According to the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, liturgical prayers are prayers that can be written or memorized and are “a framework for individual or corporate worship and devotion” (269).  They include prayers written by others, Scripture-based prayers, traditional church prayers, the Liturgy of the Hours, and seasonal church prayers.  

When we think of liturgical traditions that include these kinds of prayers, we tend to think of churches such as Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Episcopal, or Orthodox that use liturgical structures in their worship.  However, every church has its own liturgy, which is simply a pattern or format for worship.  

The foundation of liturgy is repetition rather than improvisation.  In a time that values spontaneity and individuality over tradition and repetition, liturgical prayers may seem outdated, so to speak.  Yet, I have noticed a renewed movement towards liturgical practices.  I, too, have been drawn to the traditional rhythms of the church and find beauty in the shared practices that have been passed down for generations upon generations.  

Liturgical prayers can focus corporate worship, but they can also support personal prayer.  For personal prayer purposes, pre-written prayers can give you words when you’re not sure what or how to pray.  

To learn more about liturgical prayers, I encourage you to listen to the Verity Podcast episode linked below.  Several books with liturgies that you can use for your daily prayers are linked below.

Listen: Verity Podcast - Liturgical Prayers: Are Written Prayers Biblical or Just Empty Tradition?

Books:

Ashley McCoy
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