Introduction: Picture yourself in the 1830s, responsible for an orphanage with 300 children—what would you do when you wake up to find there is no food? You wake up to the news that there is no food for the children today. What are your next steps?
Explanation: This was a reality for George Müller, a missionary and evangelist in Bristol, England. During his time, the streets were filled with orphaned children, many left to fend for themselves due to high mortality rates from diseases like typhus, consumption, and cholera. Without care, many of these children died from hunger or froze to death during the harsh winters. Others were arrested for stealing food, while some were forced into dangerous child labor in factories, mines, or as chimney sweeps. Many ended up in overcrowded workhouses, where conditions were often just as harsh as life on the streets. Burdened by their suffering, Müller felt compelled to take action. Believing that God would provide, he opened his first orphanage to give these children a home, food, education, and an opportunity to hear about Christ.
During his lifetime, George Müller cared for more than 10,000 orphans, providing them with shelter, food, and education. His commitment to trusting God’s provision allowed the orphanages to continue operating even after his death, eventually housing and caring for over 17,000 children. Beyond the orphanages, Müller established 117 schools, which provided education to more than 120,000 children, many of whom were orphans who otherwise would have had no access to learning.
Question: Accomplishing all of this—housing thousands of orphans and running over a hundred schools—required an enormous amount of money. If you were in George Müller’s position, what would your strategy be? How would you raise funds? Would you wait until you had enough capital before starting, or would you move forward in faith?
Time Out: A Few Years Earlier
The early years of George Müller’s life were far from devoted to Christ. As a child, he regularly stole from his father, then from his friends, and eventually from strangers. His actions eventually led to his arrest and imprisonment, but unlike some, he did not experience a dramatic conversion behind bars.
Müller’s father had a clear plan for his future—he wanted George to enter the Lutheran clergy, not for spiritual reasons, but because it provided financial security and social status. George agreed and pursued a divinity degree, yet he remained spiritually indifferent.
That changed when, during his university years, he was invited to a small prayer meeting. Something stirred within him as he listened to the Word of God being read and discussed. He began reading the Bible for himself, and before long, he surrendered his life to Christ.
His newfound faith put him at odds with his father’s expectations. Rather than pursuing a comfortable career in the clergy, George felt called to be a missionary and evangelist. His father, outraged, refused to continue paying his tuition.
Faced with this crisis, Müller did something that would define the rest of his life—he prayed. He asked God to provide for his tuition so he could follow the calling he believed God had placed on his life. According to some reports, within an hour, an American professor knocked on his door, offering him a paid position to teach German and translate lectures. The opportunity gave him exactly what he needed to complete his education.
From that moment on, Müller committed to trusting God for every material need in both his personal life and ministry. He kept careful records of his prayers and God’s provision, ultimately documenting over 50,000 answered prayers in his lifetime.
Transitioning back to the orphanage, let’s consider how George Müller responded to this crisis with unwavering faith. When he woke up to the news that there was no food for the 300 orphans, he did not panic or send out an urgent request for help. Instead, he calmly instructed the housemother to set the table and call all the children to breakfast.
With the children seated before empty plates, Müller led them in prayer, thanking God for the food He was about to provide. Moments after the prayer, there was a knock at the door. A local baker stood outside, explaining that he had been unable to sleep the night before because he felt compelled by God to bake bread for the orphanage. “I will bring it in now,” he said.
As the bread was being brought in, another knock came at the door. This time, it was the milkman. His delivery cart had broken down just outside the orphanage, and with no way to keep the milk from spoiling before repairs could be made, he offered the entire supply to the children—for free.
El Shaddai: The God Who Provides: The name El Shaddai reveals God as the Almighty One—the One who nourishes, sustains, and provides for His people. While George Müller may not have specifically used this name, his life demonstrated complete trust in the God who could and would provide for every need.
Part 2: George Müller’s Business Plan—Faith in Action:
Earlier, you were asked how you would approach funding if you were in George Müller’s position, responsible for starting orphanages and 117 schools. Here is how he did it:
- He never asked for money—instead, he trusted God to provide for every need.
- He prayed for everything, whether it was a major need or a simple daily necessity.
- God provided in miraculous ways, allowing the orphanages and schools to be built and sustained without Müller ever requesting funds or supplies from people.
- When he opened his first orphanage, he had only about 50 cents in his pocket, yet he moved forward in faith, believing God would supply.
Reflecting on George Müller’s Faith
How does his faith challenge and encourage you?
What made his life of faith so impactful?
The keys to George Müller’s success were simple but powerful:
- He relied on God
- He went to God in prayer for every need.
- He trusted God to provide for the work he was called to do.
Key Scriptures That Shaped Müller’s Faith
The following verses were foundational to Müller’s unwavering trust in God:
- Psalm 55:22 – “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
- Psalm 84:11 – “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”
- Psalm 81:10 – “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
- John 14:13–14 – “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.”
- Philippians 4:6 – “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
- Matthew 6:33 – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
- Romans 8:32 – “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
Conclusion:
Follow the pattern of faith that George Müller lived by: Step one—pray. Step two—wait on God. He never rushed to solve a problem in his own strength but always sought God’s provision first and trusted His timing. Make prayer your first action and waiting in faith your second.