George Müller’s life is inspirational and has lessons for all Christians. Beginning in the 1830s, Müller started Christian schools, orphanages, and a church in Bristol, England. Through these organizations he helped educate over 120,000 adults and children and cared for about 10,000 orphans. Although his ministry was supported by freely given contributions, he never requested money, went into debt, or disclosed his financial situation (which was always tight). He relied solely on the Holy Spirit leading Christians to contribute.
As he himself said, George Müller was a regular man without exceptional abilities. Although he lacked worldly strength, he depended upon God and His Word. In return, God used Müller to accomplish feats of which Müller never would have dreamed. Müller hoped that his story would motivate others to follow God whole heartedly. Müller shows that God is not the limiting factor in our spiritual lives, we are.
George Müller was not perfect, but his life shows that our mistakes will not stop God:
- Chapter 10: The Ministry Expands, 16 October 1837 Müller and Brother Craik, a fellow pastor, led two churches. Both men understood the benefits of pastoral home visits but decided it was too much work to be feasible. It is true that those home visitations were too much work for two men, but not for a team of elders. My church has home visitations, but the work is shared among all the elders. Did Müller’s church have a board of elders? I don’t know, but it should have. Müller and Craik could have had the elders handle home visitations rather than abandoning the practice. God’s kingdom still grew, but it could have grown with more speed and strength.
- Chapter 12: Trusting God for Every Need, 22 September – 2 October 1838 A rent payment was missed in spite of Müller’s fervent prayers. From this he learned that God intended him to put away rent money each day instead of waiting for a last minute lump sum. Müller had earlier felt the Lord’s calling in that direction but had not taken action.
Belief is sometimes derided as “blind faith,” as turning off the mind. Müller’s life shows that this characterization could not be further from the truth. Müller grew and learned through his trust in God. Although he relied entirely on God during his whole ministry, Müller in 1832 would not have been capable of running the 1858 organization. What changed? Müller had a deeper relationship with God, increased skill, and more experience. As his ministry grew, Müller managed more while money stayed just as tight.
George Müller’s growth never stopped from the day that he entered God’s kingdom until the day he graduated to the heavenly realm. I pray that Müller’s story inspires you to advance God’s kingdom more courageously in your mission field.
In this edition an author biography has been added, typographical errors have been corrected, and the year has been added to diary entries.
Benjamin Leonard
November 2024
150 Songs 