In November of 1844, George Müller began praying for the conversion of five specific men.
· Eighteen months later, the first was saved.
· Five more years, and the second became a Christian; then,
· Six years beyond that, the third.
· Thirty six years later, Müller was still praying daily for the remaining two.
· One of these surrendered to the Lord before Müller’s death in 1898;
· The other, a few years after Müller died.[1]
Thus was the power and resolve of this giant of prayer.
A native of Prussia, Müller was converted at 20 (after some earlier scrapes with the law), and at his father’s urging, he studied for the ministry. He became an itinerant preacher[2] and traveled to England as a missionary. His most remarkable ministry began when, in 1832, he moved to Bristol, where he partnered with Henry Craik in beginning two churches. Müller, who was the less popular of the two, began feeding and biblically instructing the poorer children in the area.[3] A vision for orphan ministry began to develop, and Müller prayed extensively for wisdom in this connection.[4] As was his determined life policy by this time, Müller told God, and no one else, about his needs.[5] Then, as he prayed, the money, supplies, and workers came in. On April 11, 1836 orphans began to be admitted, by May 18 there were 26 children, and seven months later a second house for girls was opened.[6]
Early each morning, Müller would rise to pray for the daily needs of his orphanage[7] - and the results were astounding. Müller catalogued meticulously the fruit of God’s providence, day by day for years, as in this typical journal entry:
“August 23. Today I was again without one single penny, when 3£ was sent from Clapham, with a box of new clothes for the Orphans.”[8]
Müller estimated that, in the course of his ministry, over 50,000 of his prayers were answered, most within the day. And though there were periods with no money in the bank, the children never went without proper instruction and clothes, nor were their meals ever more than 30 minutes late.[9] Prayers were even said over empty plates, with food arriving at the last moment.
And the ministry grew. More children came, larger spaces were procured, and a wonderful team of teachers was assembled.[10] When Müller retired, there were more than 2,000 orphans, from infancy through age 12, being educated and cared for in several orphanages - all on complete trust in God. After his death, the ministry more than doubled in scope, thanks to the efforts of his surviving team members.[11]
On September 18, 1838, in his orphanage’s second year, Müller wrote the following:
A lady from the neighborhood of London who brought a parcel with money from her daughter, arrived four or five days since in Bristol, and took lodgings next door to the Boys’ Orphan-House. This afternoon she herself kindly brought me the money, amounting to 3£ 2s. 6d. We had been reduced so low as to be on the point of selling those things which could be spared; but this morning I had asked the Lord, if it might be, to prevent the necessity of our doing so. That the money had been so near the Orphan-Houses for several days without being given, is a plain proof that it was from the beginning in the heart of God to help us; but, because He delights in the prayers of His children, He had allowed us to pray so long; also to try our faith, and to make the answer so much the sweeter. It is indeed a precious deliverance. I burst out into loud praises and thanks…This money…will comfortably provide for all that will be needed tomorrow.[12]
Many of God’s people are anxious if their retirement annuities are not shaping up nicely. But Müller shouted for joy when no more than tomorrow was taken care of. Intoxicated with love for his orphans and with trust in the Lord, he simply prayed, and God provided. As God’s promises were then so they are today for those who dare to trust.
[1] Roger Steer, George Muller: Delighted in God (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1975), 247.
[2] Bonnie Harvey, George Müller: Man of Faith (Uhrichsville: OH: Barbour, 1998), 9-10, 17-20.
[3] Arthur T. Pierson, George Müller of Bristol (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 69, 71.
[4] Harvey, 21.
[5] Steer, 39-40.
[6] Pierson, 93.
[7] Ibid., 101-102, 105.
[8] George Müller, A Narrative of Some of the Lord’s Dealings with George Müller, Vol. I (Muskegon, MI: Dust and Ashes, 2003), 165.
[9] Harvey, 70, 76-78.
[10] Pierson, 96, 91.
[11] Harvey, 120, 166-168, 157, 136. Today, it continues through three charities funded by the George Müller Foundation. See The George Müller Foundation Website, http://www.mullers.org/cm/ (accessed February 7, 2008).
[12] Müller, 170-171.
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