George Müller: A Life of Prayer and Faith

George Müller’s life was one of prayer and faith, as he cared for thousands of homeless children. However, he never asked for help, as he always trusted God to provide.

George Müller: A Life of Prayer and Faith

During his lifetime, this man founded and led an organization that provided shelter to more than ten thousand orphans. He also led the establishment of 117 schools that offered Christian education to more than 120,000 children.

He spent hours in prayer and Bible reading daily. By the time he became an adult, he formed the habit of reading the entire Bible four times a year.

George Müller was born in a town called Kroppenstedt, located in what is now Germany, on September 27, 1805.

An inordinate childhood

When he was ten years old, in order for him to be trained as a Lutheran clergyman, his father sent him to a nearby town called Halberstadt, because he wanted his son to enjoy the tranquility and comforts that were granted to people who were part of the State Church.

However, from an early age he was attracted to gambling, alcohol and a life without limits. So much so that, on his mother’s deathbed, when Müller was only 14 years old, he had woken up drunk and accompanied by women wandering the streets without having any news of what had happened.

Two years later, he was arrested for robbery and taken to prison. Twenty-four days after being there, his father, who as a tax collector had enough money to get him out of the cell, whipped him and sent him back to college to graduate as a pastor.

A great experience with the Word

As soon as he entered college, he met a man named Beta who, while also maintaining similar practices to the young Müller, attended meetings at a Christian man’s house where they sang, prayed and read the Bible and a printed sermon.

Beta, knowing Müller’s behavior, did not think it appropriate to invite him to such meetings. However, one day in 1827, he did.

That time of fellowship with other Christians was so impactful on George Müller’s life that he believed in the gospel message of Jesus Christ and understood that God had initiated a work of grace in his life.

Two years after his conversion he decided to enter the University of Halle to study divinity and deepen his knowledge of God.

An austere ministry

Some time later he began to exercise as Pastor in the chapel of Teignmouth, and together with his wife, he decided to change some practices with which he did not agree, but that were well seen by most of the churches of that time for their economic support.

Among the practices he cancelled was the renting of chairs to a specific elite of people who could pay for them and that prevented the poorest from sitting and listening closely to the sermon, since they did not have the means to rent their own seat.

His reflection during this time on the beautiful grace of God led him to consider that his pastoral exercise should also manifest the favor that the Creator had shown him. He then considered that he should not expect to receive a salary for devoting himself to serving others.

Called to the orphans

In 1832, Müller moved to Bristol, England to begin work at Bethesda Chapel. Later, to evidence and witness to the living God, he began to publish reports of the blessings he had received and the answers to his prayers, including meeting the needs of the orphan children’s ministry he had started with his wife.

Müller and his wife’s work with orphans began in 1836 with the adaptation of their own rented house for the accommodation of thirty girls. Shortly thereafter three more houses were furnished, not only for girls but also for boys, eventually increasing the capacity of little ones that could be cared for to 130.

A life of trust in the Lord

Despite all this, Müller never solicited financial support or went into debt. Many times he received unsolicited food donations only hours before they were needed to feed the children.

Müller constantly prayed that God would touch the hearts of the donors. For example, on one well-documented occasion, breakfast was appreciated when all the children were seated at the table even though there was nothing to eat in the house.

When they finished praying, the baker knocked on the door with enough fresh bread to feed everyone and the milkman gave them plenty of fresh milk because his cart broke down in front of the orphanage.

Müller was always recognized as a man of prayer, who prayed to God in the face of any challenge he faced and who experienced constant answers from the Lord in the most surprising ways. Müller never sought donations from specific individuals and relied on the Almighty for all his needs.

Sharing the Gospel

By 1834 Müller began to devote himself to the teaching of the Scriptures in his home, as well as the promotion and dissemination of the Scriptures in other countries to help Christian schools, missionaries and the spread of the gospel.

In 1875, at the age of 70, he began a 17-year period of missionary travel around the world. He traveled more than 200,000 miles, an incredible accomplishment for pre-aviation times. His language skills enabled him to preach in English, French and German.

Nearing the end of his life, Müller had managed to establish five buildings to house some 2,000 orphans, who never lacked for food from the day he began serving them.

By the day of his death, the fruit of his service had resulted in more than 122,000 children going to schools supported by the offerings received, the distribution of approximately 282,000 Bibles and millions of New Testaments, books, tracts and pamphlets.

In 1892, after a final missionary journey, George Müller returned to England, where he died six years later, on March 10, 1898. During his lifetime, George Müller never rested; he founded and ran schools and orphanages while serving tirelessly as a missionary.