“Only the present moment is ours to serve the Lord, and tomorrow may never come. Money is really worth no more than as it can be used to accomplish the Lord’s work. Life is worth as much as it is spent for the Lord’s service.”
-George Müller
Born in Prussia (a German state) in September of 1805, George Müller had a wild, rebellious youth. From stealing government funds to imprisonment at the age of sixteen for unpaid debts, his life was one of deceit, theft, and selfishness. How did this wild young man ever become the founder of five orphanages in Bristol, England? How did this faithless boy become one of the greatest examples of trusting faith in the 19th century?
Here is the story of God’s work in the life of George Müller.
Conversion
While a student at Halle University, George was invited to a meeting at the home of some believers. He immediately thought that, “…it was to me as if I had found something after which I had been seeking all my life long.”¹ At the meeting, the Christians sang a few hymns, heard a missionary pray, and listened to a printed sermon read aloud. George was deeply affected by this experience, and told his friend on the way home, “All we have seen on our journey to Switzerland, and all our former pleasures, are as nothing in comparison with this evening.”
At last, he understood his own sins and that Jesus had died on the cross to pay for his sin. (Join us at our church in Prince Albert to learn more.) He wrote, “And, therefore, apprehending in some measure the love of Jesus for my soul, I was constrained to love Him in return.” Because of Jesus’ love for him, George able to overcome sins he had struggled with, such as lying and stealing. In our prison ministries, we help people learn God’s way to overcome sin.
Call to ministry
As a new believer, George wanted to become a missionary. However, God had other plans. He led George to pastor a church in Teignmouth, England. While there, he made a crucial decision. Calling his people together, Pastor Müller told them that he would not ask them to pay a yearly salary for his ministry.
Instead, he “would leave it to their love to give him just whatever at any time they might be able and willing to contribute; adding that in future, whenever he might be in need, his wants would be made known to God, and to Him only.” And God always provided for George and his family, in answer to their believing prayers.
Orphanages
Two and a half years later, George moved to Bristol to pastor another church. There, he would begin his most important work. In Bristol, many poor orphans lived in the streets, with no one to care for them. After much prayer, George decided to begin Bible schools (for both adults and children) and an orphanage for these needy children.
These ministries were governed by two main principles. George’s wife describes them in this way:
1. That debt should never be incurred, a decision which for forty-six years and ten months has scrupulously been acted upon.
2. That no rich, great man—no English nobleman, for instance—should be its patron, but that the living God Himself should be the patron of the institution.
When the orphanage had a need, George and his fellow workers would not appeal to any human being. Instead, they would kneel in prayer and ask God to provide.
And God did provide abundantly for His work! The ministry grew to include five orphanages which could house over 2,000 children at one time. In addition, this ministry also published over 70 million pieces of gospel literature and hundreds of thousands of Bibles and New Testaments. It also supported missionaries in foreign countries.
Legacy
As George grew older, his dream of becoming a missionary was realized at last. He began travelling to preach internationally, going as far as California, Greece, Asia Minor, etc. He even visited Canada! From 1875-1892, George Müller travelled to 42 countries to preach. On March 10, 1898, he stepped from earth’s darkness into Heaven’s light.
The story of George Müller reminds us that God answers believing prayer. Because George believed that God could and would provide, he experienced God’s mighty hand in a way that most of us have never experienced it. In our prison ministries, we want to pray like this.
God has not changed since then. He is just as willing and able to answer our prayers. Will you pray like George Müller did—believing that God can hear and answer you? If you do, you can see God do amazing things.
God invites us to ask today, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:24)
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Are you searching? Jesus has the answers for addictions and stubborn habits. For more information, send the Crossmans a private message here on Facebook or come to a church service at Prince Albert Baptist Church. Take the first step in a walk of freedom!
For more information, call (306) 940-9554 or email anchorofhopeheb@gmail.com
1. Müller, George. A Narrative of Some of the Lord’s Dealings with George Müller written by Himself. First Part, 9th ed. London: J. Nisbet & Co., 1895.
