George Mueller
Over 20 years ago I purchased the book
George Mueller: Delighted in God, but didn't read it, until recently. It
covers the life of a man, George Mueller, who built and ran a number of orphanages
in England (and did many other remarkable feats).
What is unusual is that he never asked man or woman for money. Rather, he made
his requests known unto God and believed.
Believers, including myself, all want to be able to believe God and see His
promises come to pass before our very eyes. We all want to walk as the notable
men and women in the Bible walked.
But, perhaps each of us, at times, secretly wishes that we never have to face
the dire circumstances or challenges that force us to have to live this way.
After all, isn't it easier if we do not have to "buckle down" and prove ourselves once
again, but rather just have what we need already?
To use money as an example: we work and save for emergencies so that if we lose
our job we don't have to worry. There is nothing inherently wrong with saving
money. But if we work and scurry and save out of fear, if we hoard because we
fear for the future, then we will most likely have dire circumstances at some
point of our lives. At the very least we become a "scurrier", and that is not
how God wants His children to conduct their lives.
In current Western civilization, at least, money is the focal point. We read of men
like Abraham, Job, and many others whom God prospered in whatsoever they put their
hand to. Did they save? Plan? Probably. But they planned and worked with God
as their partner, not out of a sense of fear, or "let me put some money aside just
in case I may need to believe God but don't quite."
An error believers can fall into is that since they have a nice job, house, and
car, they believe they have these things because of believing God. And this may be true, but
I have seen it happen where once they have these things they do not put quite
as much effort into practicing believing. This can result in a subtle
shift in thinking that it is the job or the bank account that is their
sufficiency, and not God. Each day they look at the car or the house and think,
"I am believing God." And maybe they are and maybe they aren't.
Just because someone has plenty of money does not mean they are believing God.
Yet for many believers, unless they actively practice believing to bring
material abundance to themselves they will have a hard time. And this can be a
puzzle to God's people.
George Mueller believed God. He spent years where he had just enough food or
money to feed his orphans that day. Many times food or money appeared after
they sat down to eat. There were years where he wondered why he couldn't get ahead a bit
more each day so that he wouldn't have to work so hard at believing each and every day.
But these early years taught him how to practice believing, and how to rely on
God daily and to know the He would not be late.
Those early years taught George Mueller how to believe God regardless of what
the circumstances looked like. And those years were his "university
education" in walking with God, and the success that followed for decades was
built on this learning of how to believe.
In later years the size of the gifts George Mueller received grew significantly,
along with his vision and goals. The early years had helped him to become adept
at believing for funds many times larger as be built more orphanages and cared
for many more children.
The believing process is the same whether one believes for $100 or $10,000. You
and I may believe for $100 because it seems reasonable, but when we try to
believe for $10,000 we may, deep inside, think it's a bit foolish or greedy.
And it may be, depending on why we are asking, but the act of believing is the
same as it is for $100.
You may not care to believe as did George Mueller, Abraham, the widow with the
son to feed, Job, King David, or others. And you may be someone who has enough
money to never really need to think about God and finances and other needs. But
believing God is not just about money. I want to be able to believe God to heal
people, raise someone from the dead if need be, believe that my kitchen never
goes empty even if there is a famine and a truckers strike and the stores are
empty. I want to walk with my Father. George Mueller was one of these men.
So, I took some notes on some of the principles that George Mueller used to become,
in my terminology, a "BELIEVER". One who lived and walked daily believing God.
Please keep in mind that George Mueller, like any man, was not perfect. Not
every belief or perception he held was necessarily correct. Nor is your life's situation
identical to his. Yet he, through learning and persistence, put together a
pretty good track record!
These lists are not exhaustive nor are they better than what anyone else could
produce, but I hope they bless you and inspire you.
General Notes
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