Andrew Murray (1828-1917) was a South-African Dutch Reformed leader and author of devotional writings. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Murray became a noted missionary leader and was one of the chief promoters of the call to missions in South Africa. This led to the Dutch Reformed Church missions to blacks in the Transvaal and Malawi. Apart from his evangelistic tours in South Africa, he spoke at the Keswick and Northfield Conventions in 1895, making a great impression upon his British and American audiences. For his contribution to world missions he was given an honorary doctorate by the universities of Aberdeen (1898) and Cape of Good Hope (1907). Murray is best known today for his devotional writings, which place great emphasis on the need for a rich, personal devotional life. Many of his 240 publications explain in how he saw this devotion and its outworking in the life of the Christian. Several of his books have become devotional classics. Among these are Abide in Christ, Absolute Surrender, With Christ in the School of Prayer, The Spirit of Christ and Waiting on God. Many of Murray's devotionals were about prayer, including this one about the centrality of prayer in the lives of Christians. Murray explains when and how to pray, what to expect from prayer, and why prayer is so important.