Robert Murray M’Cheyne: Weapon in the Hand of GodShawn Roberson"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Mt. 6:33). "Serve the Lord with gladness" (Ps. 100:2). "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Mt. 28:19). When writing about the lives of the great men of God, one often tries to find a verse which summarizes the character of those men. In the case of Robert M’Cheyne, this simply won’t do. Although a simple man who wanted to reach as many as possible with the gospel of Jesus Christ, three verses are needed to show who he was. Although his life and ministry were short, the verses above speak of his earnest desire to spend time in communion with his Lord, serve God daily, and bring the gospel message to others.Born May 21, 1813, Robert Murray M’Cheyne was the youngest of five children born to Adam and Lockhart Murray M’Cheyne. Adam was a prominent lawyer in Edinburgh, and he originally wanted Robert to enter law. From an early age, Robert showed himself to be a very bright child and a good student. At age 4, he taught himself to read and write the Greek alphabet, and he entered the University at Edinburgh in November 1827, at the age of 14.On July 8, 1831, an event took place which would play a major part in determining the course of Robert’s life. On that day, M’Cheyne’s brother, David, died. David had, for years, shown a genuine concern for his brother, and he had often prayed for Robert’s salvation and spiritual growth. This loss was used by the Holy Spirit to shake M’Cheyne and cause him to see the error of his worldly ways. For years after the event, M’Cheyne noted the anniversary of his brother’s death in his journal, as it was a day of great sadness for him.After the death of his brother, M’Cheyne’s journal shows frequent references to his turning from his ways concerning gaming and nights out on the town. With his thoughts turning more toward things spiritual, he entered the Divinity Hall of Edinburgh University in the fall of 1831. While there he studied under such stalwarts in the faith as Thomas Chalmers. He also became friends with Andrew Bonar, who would later be his biographer. Together, they trained for the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ.After graduation, M’Cheyne was licensed to preach on July 1, 1835, by the Presbytery of Annan. On November 7 of that year he became the assistant to Rev. John Bonar in the parishes of Larbert and Dunipace. Later, in November of 1836, he was ordained and became pastor of St. Peter’s in Dundee. Thus M’Cheyne came to be the pastor of his own parish church. His desire to bring the gospel to his fellow Scots was fulfilled. But these facts and dates don’t speak to the real man and the character with which God had blessed him. His own words will do much to show who he was.The first aspect of M’Cheyne’s makeup to be noted is his earnest desire to spend time with his Lord. An entry in his journal states: "February 23. Sabbath. Rose early to seek God, and found Him whom my soul loveth. Who would not rise early to meet such company?" Andrew Bonar, in his biography of M’Cheyne, remarked that "the real secret of his soul’s prosperity lay in the daily enlargement of his heart in fellowship with his God."[1] In a way which is sadly missing in many today, he literally planned his day around his times of communion with God. It was this heart-felt longing for God which caused him to start his days in this way. In a letter to a student he wrote: "Do everything in earnest. Above all, keep much in the presence of God. Never see the face of man till you have seen His face who is our life, our all." It was this close fellowship with God which enabled M’Cheyne to serve so well, for one can truly see the worth of man when he has first seen the worthiness of God our Father, and such an intense love of God causes one to want to bring others into the kingdom.Secondly, M’Cheyne was a servant of his Master. In his journal he often remarked that he wanted nothing more than to be used by God. He often thought of foreign missions, and spent much time visiting the people living in his parish. He would visit the sick and grieving, often for many consecutive days, praying with them, reading Scripture, and encouraging them in their walk. At the end of one such full day he wrote, "O how sweet to work all day for God, and then to lie down at night under His smiles."[2] This tremendous service can be seen in his daily ministry. Besides regular preaching on Sundays, M’Cheyne gave lectures to Sunday School teachers, taught Sunday School, led an adult Bible study class, participated in a midweek singing class, and Thursday night prayer meeting. All these, added to the visitations mentioned above, kept him extremely busy. Sadly, they also contributed to bouts of ill health which sometimes left him unable to function. Even these times, he felt, were God’s times of special growth for him and an absence which made him even more eager to minister to his flock.Finally, M’Cheyne sought to bring the gospel to as many people as possible. He wrote of this desire in a letter to Rev. Burns.Everything I meet with, and every day I study my Bible, makes me pray more that God will begin and carry on a deep, pure, widespread, and permanent work of God in Scotland. If it be not deep and pure, it will only end in confusion, and grieving away the Holy Spirit of God by irregularities and inconsistencies, Christ will not get any glory, and the country generally will be hardened, and have their mouths filled with reproaches. If it be not widespread, our God will not get a large crown out of this generation. If it be not permanent, that will prove its impurity, and will turn all our hopes into shame. [3]M’Cheyne knew that such a work would involve large numbers of people turning to the Lord, so he wrote to another pastor, "If I know my own heart, its only desire is that Christ may be glorified, by souls flocking to him, and abiding in him, and reflecting his image." [4] He also knew that it was through the faithful ministers of the gospel that God would bring this great work about. He once remarked to a fellow pastor that a minister "is an awful weapon in the hand of God. A work spoken by you when your conscience is clear, and your heart full of God’s Spirit, is worth ten thousand words spoken in unbelief and sin." Returning to his desire for a close communion with God, M’Cheyne wanted nothing more than to bring others into this fellowship. He realized that it was this relationship for which we were created, and each step closer to being true image-bearers of God, strengthens the friendship which exists between God and His people.In February of 1843, M’Cheyne visited twenty-four places in the northwest of Scotland, and he preached twenty-seven times. Although he returned to Dundee very tired, he preached at St. Peter’s on March 12. The following Tuesday he performed a wedding and spoke to a group of children, before becoming extremely ill. On March 25, he died at the age of 29. Thus Scotland lost a great man of God - a faithful minister and a weapon in the hand of God.
