Tag Archives: Andrew Murray

The God of the Broken

14 Sunday Dec 2025

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 And He said,
“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel;
for you have struggled with God and with men,
and have prevailed.”
(Genesis 32:28, NKJV)

The people whom God uses to change the world have first been radically changed by the Spirit of God. Often, these world changers have experienced major setbacks. We might even say they have been broken by God, but they have come through those experiences transformed and empowered by the Spirit.

There is a pattern that emerges as we look back at the lives of the three revival leaders we have examined thus far. Each of them reached a breaking point.

A. B. Simpson was a successful minister, who through much hard work, built a large church but he experienced burnout and a physical breakdown. From this low point, God healed him and raised him up to bring healing and salvation to thousands.

Similarly, Aimee Semple McPherson experienced a complete physical breakdown that left her hospitalized and at the point of death. She had returned from the mission field as a widow and a broken woman. She transitioned to a new life but steadfastly resisted God’s call. But God broke her resistance, miraculously restored her health, and catapulted her into a healing ministry that changed the trajectory of the church in America and the world.

Andrew Murray had what many would consider a successful ministry. But he too reached a breaking point. He lost his voice for two years. From this low point, God healed, transformed, and restored Murray to a far more effective and far-reaching ministry.

The common thread running through these life stories is that all three leaders encountered a breaking point. God broke them. Why would God do such a thing? Do we need to be broken to become effective ministers of the gospel of Christ?

There are several stories in the Bible that illustrate this need for God to break us.

The life story of the patriarch Jacob serves as the primary example of God taking a man to a breaking point. Jacob was a grasper. He grabbed for power. This is graphically illustrated by the way he came into this world. He arrived grasping his twin brother’s heel.[i] From the moment of birth, we see Jacob attempting to supplant Esau, his older brother, through cunning and deception.

Jacob succeeds first by trading a pot of lentil stew for Esau’s birthright (Genesis 25:29-35), and later by conspiring with his mother to rob Esau of his father’s blessing (Genesis 27:1-41). When Esau threatens to kill him, Jacob flees to the distant home of his uncle Laban.

Repeatedly, Jacob bargains with God, and God answers his prayers. Perhaps this is the most remarkable feature of Jacob’s life story. The LORD sticks with this deceiver and blesses him despite his devious ways. His life is a portrait of God’s unmerited favor in the face of constant opposition.

Jacob met his cunning, devious double in the person of Uncle Laban. First, Laban deceived Jacob by swapping Leah for her sister Rachel on his wedding night. There is more than a little divine justice at play in Laban’s clever deception. Jacob who cheated his blind father is cheated blind in his own marriage bed. The irony in this outcome is striking. Jacob is required to work seven years for Leah and then seven more years for Rachel, his true love.[ii]

Then, over the years, Laban changed Jacob’s wages ten times. But despite Laban’s constant readjustments, Jacob’s flocks and herds grew and prospered. God’s blessing bestowed by Isaac remained on Jacob.[iii]

But eventually, God brought Jacob to a breaking point. It happened on Jacob’s return to his homeland.
Jacob gets word that his brother Esau is coming to meet him with 400 men. Why would Esau come with 400 men unless he intended to carry out the threat, he uttered twenty years earlier? Suddenly, Jacob’s life is on the line, and not only his life, but also the lives of his two wives and his twelve sons. His family and all the wealth he accumulated over years of hard labor is about to be wiped out. He finds himself in a truly desperate situation with no way out.

In exchange for his life, he offers to bargain away all his livestock, his wives, and his children. But will this desperate ploy satisfy the angry brother he has cheated? Jacob sends all he has ahead of him. To his servants he says:

“When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us’” (Genesis 32:17-18, NIV).

But Jacob stays back on the opposite side of the Jabok River. There alone in the dark for the whole night, Jacob wrestled with a man. But in truth, he wrestled with God.

Jacob’s Ladder — Genesis 28:12

Many Bible scholars view this man as a Christophany—a preincarnate appearance of Christ. Christ came down from heaven to break this obstinate cheater—break him and change him into a vessel he could use for his glory and his eternal purpose.

When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared” (Genesis 32:25-30).

There can be no doubt who the stronger man was at Peniel. With a simple touch Jacob’s

hip was wrenched. With a simple touch Christ healed the sick, raised the crippled, and restored sight to the blind. But here with a simple touch, Christ wrenched Jacob’s hip and left him limping for the rest of his days.

Why this stark contrast? We can easily understand why Christ would heal a crippled beggar, but why would he break a man? Why break Jacob?

The simple answer is because Jacob needed to be broken. The wild horse serves no one. The wild stallion serves only himself. Only the broken horse is fit for the master’s service. All of Jacob’s service was self-serving, and that includes his service to Laban. From Peniel onward Jacob—broken Jacob—was serving the LORD.

Galloping Horses – Image courtesy of Tina Phillips at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

David, the man after God’s own heart, needed to be broken too. David was true to the LORD in the wilderness with jealous King Saul in hot pursuit, but after he assumed the throne of Israel his fleshly desires led him astray. After his sin with Bathsheba, God needed to break him. The events that followed this sordid affair brought the humility so essential to effective service to God. Psalm 51 reflects the heart cry of a broken man.

This need for the servant of God to be broken by God appears in the New Testament as well. Peter needed to be broken by Jesus. Peter was a natural leader—sure of himself in all situations—ready to step out of a boat and even walk on water. That takes more than a little courage. But that confident self-assurance needed to be broken, and Jesus knew how to do it.

It only took the third crowing of a rooster to break Peter and reduce him to a blubbering, sobbing mess. Jesus knows how to break the strongest men. But he also knows how to restore them.

Three times Jesus asked, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”[iv] Three times Peter affirmed his love for the Lord, and three times Jesus affirmed Peter’s calling:

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs” (John 21:15).
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep” (John 21:16).
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17).

Photo by kailash kumar on Pexels.com

The broken Peter was now ready for service. He would fulfill the prophetic words Jesus had spoken over him before his fall and now in his restoration.

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32, NIV).

The broken Peter had been humbled. Now Jesus ruled Peter. Now the Master was truly the Master and Lord of all.

Have you been broken by Jesus? Most Christians are eager to serve the Lord, but only in an advisory capacity. Peter was quick to give Jesus advice on how he should avoid the cross. See Matthew 16:21-27.

The Lord is not looking for our advice. He is looking for our obedience.

Jesus himself needed to be broken. His Heavenly Father broke him on the cross where he cried out, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (Which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) (Matthew 27:46, NIV).

When Jesus broke, he broke the stranglehold of sin over humanity. His breaking was essential for the salvation of our souls.

As disciples of our Lord Jesus, we can expect to be broken as well. We need to become like our Master in every way.

Saul of Tarsus was zealous to serve the God of his fathers, so zealous he persecuted the church. Jesus himself intervened in Saul’s life in order to break him. On the road to Damascus, Saul was confronted by Jesus—arrested by Jesus—blinded and broken by him.

Out of his brokenness Paul ministered the gospel to the Gentile world of his day. Through his writing he continues to speak to millions today.

Have we been confronted by Jesus? Has he opposed you at any point in your life? Have you been broken by him? In the power of our own flesh, we can do many good and noble things in the name of our Lord. Many fine churches have been built through clever marketing and ingenuity. Human effort and talent can carry us a long way.

In the eyes of many, A. B. Simpson had a successful ministry before Christ broke him. Andrew Murray was powerfully used by God before God broke him and set him aside for two years. But both these men came out of their time of brokenness refined and empowered by the Spirit of God. In their hearts there had been a regime change. The risen Christ was fully in charge now and the Spirit of God was directing them forward.

Are you and I ready to be broken and poured out at the feet of Jesus?

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil (John 12:3, NIV).

[i] Genesis 25:21-26

[ii] Genesis 29:14-30

[iii] Genesis 31:38-42

[iv] John 21:15-19

This is the fourteenth weekly excerpt from the award-winning book 
The Elisha Code & the Coming Revival 

A soul-gripping read.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.
For details click here.

The Servant of All

16 Sunday Nov 2025

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Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said,
“Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last,
and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35, NIV)

Are you and I putting Jesus’ teaching on being the least into practise in our daily lives. Are we becoming the servant of all? Do we see ourselves as last or do we put ourselves and our concerns first above all others?
Why is humility so key to missionary breakthrough? In what way has pride and self-righteousness either prevented or killed times of revival? The much-loved devotional writer Andrew Murray has much to teach us in these key areas.

Andrew Jr.’s father, Andrew Senior, had come to South Africa from Scotland as a missionary in 1828.  The Dutch Reformed Church was so desperate for pastors that they would even accept Scottish Presbyterians into their fold.  Revival and missions were the air that Andrew Junior breathed in his father’s house. Missionaries constantly visited the Murray home, including Dr. David Livingstone.

In 1838, when Andrew Junior was ten, he and his brother John were sent by their parents to study in Scotland. In the spring of 1840, the revivalist William C. Burns came and spoke in Aberdeen, Scotland. Burns’ heart was constantly broken over the lost, and he would weep and pray for hours for their salvation. This left a deep impression on young Andrew Murray.

The two brothers then went to Utrecht, Holland, for further theological studies. There, they became part of a revival group called Sechor Dabar (remember the Word in Hebrew).

When he returned to South Africa, Andrew became a Dutch Reformed pastor, being elected six times as the Moderator of the entire Dutch Reformed Church denomination. After initially trying to shut down the 1860 South African revival, he ended up giving strong leadership to this key revival. As people cried out in anguish, Andrew initially said, “This must stop now. I am your pastor!” God changed his mind, so, with Andrew’s blessing, great renewal broke out throughout South Africa with many thousands confessing Christ.

Suddenly in 1879, at age 51, Murray lost his voice for two years. Out of his painful two years of silence, he learned to depend upon God’s faithfulness, surrendering everything to God, and coming into a deep place of humility and love for others. In this time of waiting, he learned that we have nothing but what we humbly receive from God. Humility is about being an empty vessel that God can fill. Are we willing to be radically dependent on God?

Andrew’s amazing book Humility came of this deep time of self-crucifixion. He wrote, “Nothing but a crucified Jesus revealed in the soul can give a humble spirit.”

Humility for Andrew was most clearly seen in the incarnate and crucified Christ who prayed “not my will but Thine be done.” Andrew discovered that “pride is death, and the other (humility) is life; the one is all hell, the other is all heaven.”

During his voice ailment, Andrew came to see that a lack of humility suppresses revival and missions. He wrote, “A lack of humility is the explanation of every defect and failure.”

In 1881, he went to London to Bethshan, a healing home started by W. E. Boardman. He was completely healed there and never had trouble with his voice again. From that point on, he knew and taught that spiritual gifts were for believers today, and that God’s will is for healing and wholeness. While in England in 1882, he attended the Keswick Convention which focused on holiness and deeper life in Christ. Eventually, he founded Keswick South Africa.

Andrew did not just recover his voice; His whole demeanor changed.  He became known for his joyful humour. A long-time friend of the family wrote to Murray’s daughter Mary of this transformation: “A great change came into his life after that. He used to be rather stern and very decided in his judgment of things—after that year he was all love. His great humility also struck me very forcibly at that time.”

Murray’s oldest daughter agreed, saying, “he began to show in all relationships constant tenderness and unruffled lovingkindness and unselfish thought for others which increasingly characterized his life from that point.”

God showed Andrew Murray that “manifestations of temper and touchiness and irritation, feelings of bitterness and estrangement, have their root in nothing but pride.” He concluded that our defensiveness and unkind words reveal a lack of humility.

This deep personal change is the hallmark of all who come to a point of full repentance and faith in Christ. Humility is the mark of those who have been broken by the Spirit.

In his play The Power of Darkness, Leo Tolstoy put these words in the mouth of one of the main characters, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”[i]

World changers—God’s world changers—have first been changed by the Spirit of God. The self has been crucified and now Christ reigns. Leo Tolstoy, Andrew Murray, and the apostle, Paul, knew they were in desperate need of personal transformation. Real change begins with humble submission to Christ the crucified Lord and Savior.

 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20, NIV).

Andrew ended up writing two hundred and forty books and booklets, including Waiting on God, The School of Obedience, Absolute Surrender, and The Deeper Christian Life. His anointed pen came from his anointed heart.

One of his most transformative books was called The Key to the Missionary Problem where he taught that missions were “the chief end of the church.” Dr F.B. Meyer said that The Key to the Missionary Problem, if widely read, would lead to one of the greatest revivals of missionary enthusiasm that the world has ever known.

Andrew Murray saw missions as so large and difficult it required the Church returning to “the Pentecostal life of her first love.”

“The Pentecostal commission can only be carried out by a Pentecostal Church in Pentecostal Power. …We have given too much attention to methods and to machinery and to resources and too little to the Source of Power—the filling with the Holy Ghost.”

Humble prayer, said Murray, was the heart of missions. He prayed that the cry of our whole heart, night, and day, would be, “Oh, for the humility of Jesus in myself and all around me!”

Murray saw humility as an essential key to winning the lost and reflecting the true character of Jesus. O that God would use such humility to breath a revival of missions throughout the world.

God eventually used Andrew as a peacemaker, humbly seeking to avoid the horrendous Boer/Anglo War (October 11, 1899 – May 31, 1902) where 26,000 of the 100,000 women and children in British concentration camps died of malnutrition and disease. Andrew Murray was ideally suited to the task of peacemaking. He had spent his entire working life as a bridge builder between the Dutch-speaking Afrikaners and the black tribal communities. Now as a British-born church leader, he interceded for peace in the face of British imperial aggression.

He wrote, “The horrors of war are too terrible; the sin and shame of war are too great; the folly of war is too monstrous… I believe with my whole heart that in many respects Britain is the noblest, the most Christian nation in the world, its greatest power for good or evil… Once again, I beseech the Christian people of Great Britain to rouse themselves, and to say, ‘This war shall not be.’ Let every lover of peace make his voice heard.”

In this time of tragic conflict, in various hot spots around the globe, may we pray that other humble peacemakers, like Andrew Murray, may arise. What might it take for the Russian and Ukrainian people to humbly seek lasting reconciliation and forgiveness?

The earnest prayer and humility of Jesus points the way forward. The hour is late. Hear our Savior’s plea, “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” (Matthew 26:40, NIV).

[i] Leo Tolstoy, The Power of Darkness, Kindle edition, 2012, Aylmer Maude (Translator), Louise Shanks Maude (Translator).

This is the tenth weekly excerpt from the award-winning book 
The Elisha Code & the Coming Revival 

A soul-gripping read.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.
For details click here.