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| George Muller 1805-1898 |
George Mueller is best known for being a man who lived by his faith. By faith he took in and cared for over 10,000 orphans. By faith alone he provided them with an education, opened 117 schools and gave a Christian education to 120,000 kids. All by faith and all on prayer. He resolved to not tell a single person of his needs or the needs of the orphans he took in. He would only tell God. He fully believed the promises God gave in the Bible so he trusted God to provide for every single need no matter how big or small and God always answered. Some even witnessed God answering Mueller's prayers and it brought them to Christ.
He would spend hours in prayer daily and when he would give Bible lessons to the kids he did it on his knees. Many times when the orphans would go to the table for a meal, there was no food. Mueller would have them sit at the table expectantly anyway, thank God for His provisions and trust Him to feed them. People would begin showing up with food at his door for reasons even unknown to them. More often than not they would simply do it because they had a "feeling" they should. Mueller knew their prayers was just being answered.
If he needed money he wouldn't tell other people. He'd only go to God and soon the money he needed would come in. Whatever was needed to continue caring for the orphans and their educations, Mueller always received. Any money Mueller earned later, which was about 12,000 a year, he gave away most keeping only 1,800 for personal needs.
George Mueller lived a life of trust, a life of prayer and a life of faith that was strengthened each day. He understood God's sovereignty, His grace and His faithfulness if he only trusted Him. The income needed to build and sustain what he'd established was enormous, but Mueller, and all those he cared for, were never in need, never in want and his thousands of kids never missed a single meal. His example changed thousands of lives and his example is a path we all are to be following. Mueller read through the Bible 200 times, was a man of constant prayer and he said he knew of over 50,000 prayers God had answered. However, Mueller didn't think his faith was anything extraordinary, but something all Christians are to be living and exercising.
We live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7
When Mueller died at 93 his personal possession were only worth 8 hundred dollars, but he had distributed to the caring of the orphans, the schools, his students and through the distribution of bibles, well over 8 million dollars that he'd received through prayer. The difference between Mueller and so many prosperity teachers is Mueller didn't use what God provided on himself. He lived day to day, moment to moment fully dependent on God alone. Every dime he received he used to carry out the work God had given him to do. Mueller understood that this life is temporary, this world is temporary and all things belong to God.
"And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Matthew 21:22
This man was a giant in the faith, has had countless books written about him, countless lessons gleaned from his life and example not just by Christians, but non Christians as well. He is still changing lives today. It's not something only Mueller was able to achieve though. It's something we're all called to do and he often taught that to many congregations. It's a way of life we're all supposed to be living and George Mueller set a great example and continues to be an enormous inspiration to us all.
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