A Worshipful Home
When you hear the name Andrew Murray, I wonder if you think of the grumpy Scottish tennis player or the great South African minister and writer? I hope that it's the second one! Because Andrew Murray was a really great man of God who did a lot for our country in South Africa, and wrote some of the most loved devotional classics, which have meant a lot to so many people over the years.
Andrew Murray Biography
I picked up a biography of his, which is called “Andrew Murray: One of God's Choice Saints” by W.M. Douglas. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'd like to pick out some inspiration for you to hear, starting with the fact that Murray grew up in a home where there was much Scripture. His father was a Presbyterian minister in Scotland, and he felt a call to come and do missionary work in South Africa. He came down in the 1820s, learned Dutch and became part of the Dutch Reformed Church, and the home that he and his wife created seemed to be one of much spirituality.
Andrew Murray’s Childhood
The author says “Many words of Scripture became graven on the hearts of his children through hearing their father repeat them with great feeling and emphasis. The Word of Christ did indeed dwell in him richly.” And one of Andrew Murray's sisters also talks about their mother, who was a deep Christian, who taught them verses and hymns and all sorts of great godly things to memorize and prayed with them in a deep way that they'd never forget. Andrew Murray grew up in this home of much scripture, much godly singing, much prayer.
Andrew Murray’s Wellington Home
As an old man himself, Andrew Murray stayed at his home in Wellington, and people always commented that his home was “fragrant with the master's presence”, to quote one of his friends. It was a Bethany indeed, a place where God dwelled. I'm sure it's because it was also a home of much prayer, much Scripture, much godly singing.
Is My Home a Worshipful Place?
This made me think about my own home. Is it a home where there's much love, where God's Word is spoken, prayed, sung? Is it a home where there is such a fragrance of God, because I've brought him in through the words that I speak and say and sing? How about you? What about your home? A chapel doesn't have to be the most sacred place on earth. Neither does the countryside. But your home and my home can be sacred places. Little Bethany's of their own. If, like the Murrays, we turn them into places of prayer, scripture and worship with the Hudson.
