George Mueller

George Mueller open an orphanage. He had a specific goal in mind. The primary reason for establishing the Orphic house was, that God may be glorified, showing that it is not a vain thing to trust in, and thus the faith of his children may be strengthened. In other words he wanted to start something that only God could support so that the believing body would be amazed, and encouraged at the trustworthiness rather be part something that can be explained based on good planning and hard work and a little luck or something that can only be explained by the fact that God worked in an amazing way well for Mueller. He wanted to be involved in the latter God used him to establish an orphanage to run that orphanage in a way that made it clear God was doing what only God could do today on wisdom for the hard Stephen Davies looks at George Mueller as he continues his series called legacies of light.

Stay tuned for the next half hour and be encouraged by this fascinating and inspiring in her book entitled mystery on the desert woman by the name of Maria Reich describe her before her readers.

These hills and valleys. You may have seen pictures of them created by the Indians and that were created centuries ago living hills that would come around and circle around and then suddenly stop short mounds that would appear for no apparent purpose or reason to sort of randomly appear no sense or pattern for centuries. All of these twisting depressions were thought to be a mystical patterns perhaps for some kind of ancient religious system all the way up to 1939. They remained a mystery.

But in 1939 the mystery was rather easily solved by a man by the name of Paul Osaka, a professor of anthropology.

He discovered that these were not irrigation irrigation systems.

After all, and that they were mystical religious whatever they were works of art created in the landscape by the Indians and discovered it because of another discovery: airplane, Eddie flew overhead because of a higher than Earth's perspective. He was able to discover form of a bird. The forms and patterns of other animals. The landscape had effectively been this unique canvas upon which these Indians rather creatively created these birds and animals. Once he flew overhead and he gained this higher than life perspective. He could see it all.

Clearly imagine though is still somewhat mysterious, creating art that you really can't understand on planet Earth creating artistic forms of beauty outlines of animals that you really can't fully appreciate or understand until you get a higher perspective. But as I read that and you're already five is at it you know this is a wonderful analogy to the Christian life is. It is turn the Romans chapter 8 very familiar bold statement. Many you probably have this text. Memorize your rights in Roman separated in verse 28 for we know that all things work together for what good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose right that the apostle Paul is basically saying that all these seemingly random patterns in our lives. Paul effectively says with this text, we gotta get a higher view of life in order to really appreciate what God is doing and you notice here, he speaks with absolute confidence.

Does any begins with four we what no thank you.

Notice he doesn't say that all things are good. He says that all things work together for good, because all things are all things work together, work together, wonderful Greek word sooner, get out, which gives us our word center. So Paul has in mind any one event in your life may not seem to be working out Paul is saying that every single event synergistically produces something better than anyone of those single events produces that which is in the mind of God. Good. You mean an event of evil of false accusations, cruelty and injustice, crime, failure, broken relationships, hatred, pain, suffering, jealousy, abandonment, you mean that yes because every one of those single things I mentioned occurred in the life of Jesus Christ in his final days, and they all work together something that we would say was good.

Paul says this is going to happen.

And in this higher than Earth's perspective is something that we need to pursue that is, those who love God and are called according to his purpose. By the way just to descriptions of believer you love God you been called by God to the purpose which he will fulfill in your life that only now but in the future in your glorification and perfection and that time moment when we will see him face to face so everyone random Hill every twisting valet every steep ascent every quick dissent every sudden stop or start is the artistry of God at work in our lives and we take it by faith and eventually thank God we will get an elevated view, we struggle through it now and will see the work of God probably explained by his grace will look back and see so many things so much more clearly others a lesser-known verse that we could call a twin verse of Romans 828. It saw him.

Chapter 84 verse 11.

Look, there for the Lord God is a sun as you only time you find that word here for the Lord God is a sun and shield the Lord bestows favor and honor.

Now watch this no good thing does he withhold from those who walk upright Lord of hosts.

Blessed is the one who trusts in you again this is a reference to every believer and with incredible confidence in a matching Paul, you have the sons of Cora here who are composing this musical statement of faith. No good thing will he withhold from his so if you don't have something God would save because I don't do it is good for you.

If you have something that you don't want God with that you have it because I consider good for you. It has an ultimate purpose and am working it all out in your life these texts. This is higher than Earth perspective become the foundation for one of the most amazing testimonies that I have studied and I have to tell you, it's been difficult to wind this thing down because the series ends with our next study and try to figure out which to bring to you one tonight. One that but this manager sort of leapt off the pages as I have scanned biographies I have read more in detail, but this one particular man and his wife will stake their lives and their ministries on such simple yet bold confidence that God would never withhold something that he can sitter good in their lives that he would never give them something that he didn't consider good and that everything worked synergistically together for their ultimate before I using it in and talk about his fruitful ministry. You need to know. He was an unlikely candidate for God service. In fact, everything seemed to be working together to keep him away from the Lord's name was George Mueller. He was a German born in technically the Kingdom of Prussia.

It seems that both of his parents were unbelievers. In fact, his father was a revenue collector for the government made plenty of money seem to live for George and his brother routinely stole from their father in order to support their own lives of of gambling and immorality.

His father decided when George was rather young to make a Lutheran minister out of not because of any kind of spiritual calling or obligation, but because Lutheran ministers were supported by the state is good living comfortable so he sent them off to to study for. That didn't work out too well all fell apart when his mother suddenly died. George was 14 at the time and unaware that she had died. He writes later I was playing cards until two in the morning and then on the next day being Sunday, evidently the day she died.

My companions and I got drunk wondered streets by the age of 16. George Mueller will be in prison charged with theft. His father bails him out beat some and and takes them to a different city nearby to settle down and try to straighten them out. He evidently did straighten up a bit. I guess that scared him in prison, so he applied himself completed his undergraduate studies and a few years later. Then he entered seminary and evaluate his unconverted that he was, in fact, he would later write that of the 900 divinity students at his seminary, only nine of them were Christian, they would effectively choose those living they would live off the government they would rent cues in their church literally sell seats and perform liturgical services, weddings and funerals make their comfortable life while in seminary, George was invited to an evangelical prayer meeting of the handful of of genuine believers.

He was, he was struck by their simple, transparent, genuine worship, and that they they sanction hymns. One of the men read a sermon, it had to be read because it was illegal for someone to preach and expound on Scripture without an ordained minister present and ordained ministers more interested in evangelical prayer meeting, none were there so they read a prayer.

What struck George the most was how the meeting began. Evidently everybody in that little room got on their knees and prayed. He wrote I had never either seen anyone on his knees praying nor had I at any time. Prayed on my knees that just really marked that evening on his bed. He would later write God began a work of grace in my heart that evening would be the turning point in my life is 20 years of age when he gives life to Jesus Christ. The gospel accepted four years later finishing his studies, he came to England as a missionary to the Jews ministry that would be inhibited by his lack of English it would take a while to learn the language and he would soon leave that ministry because of doctrinal differences so he abandoned that work. A year later he would be baptized by immersion from his own study of Scripture coming to believe that that was the only mode biblical he would become the pastor of the little church where he would meet and marry his future wife. Her name was Mary Groves, following his marriage and entering into the ministry George Miller's character begins to become very evident he he immediately determined to receive a salary only from the people that from the government and he would only receive what they joyfully gave he never went without. He also decided to immediately stop renting cues. He considered that a violation of James chapter 2, where the rich people got the best seat so he determined that all the seats would be great again. Going against the status quo, which would really be the mark of this man's ministry while pastoring there. Mary gave birth to a stillborn child in 1832 at the age of 27 he moved to another little church in Bristol, England, and he would stay there and pastor there for more than while there early on. They had a daughter wanted them.

They named her Lydia. They would later have another child, a son would live only for three months and then another son would be born stillborn.

I should say a few years later. In the meantime George and his wife decided to take as many orphans off the street as they could feed and again. This was against the norm.

They renovated their homes so that they can house 30 girls that was quite a renovation is really funny because as I read it wasn't long before the neighbors complained about the noise. I can imagine it was noisy and get this, the neighbors complained of the regular disruption of public utilities. Evidently all those girls are getting ready to pikes drained out. There was no water for the so the beginning of the ministry here George Mueller and his wife began to take kids off the street they had one rule there could be no living father or mother.

They wanted to. Truly this, they began a tremendously fruitful ministry within 10 years without any appeal for government funding. Even believers house was built to accommodate 300 children.

Mueller's orphanages, which eventually, by the way included five buildings where they can house at any time 2050 children, which they did was only a part of his vision. What he actually did was he founded what he called the Scripture knowledge Institute and it had a five fold commitment I give you five first to assist the education of children and adults by providing biblical curriculum. They would write in effect would be translated many like secondly to distribute Bibles third distribute biblical materials tracks and literature for to support missionaries to other lands and fifth to board close and scripturally educate destitute children who lost both her that now. Again, keep in mind the destitute condition for children in the 19th century it a supposedly civilized culture and yet when George Mueller began his orphanage in 1832, there were nearly 10,000 children in prison under the age of eight. A lot of that simply had to do with the fact they did not do them. So the first surprising element to me of his ministry was well. Not only that he pastor the church for more than 50 years, but that his orphanage was only one of five vision statement. The second surprising element of his orphanage ministry. In particular was his primary objective that you might think. After what I've already said that the reason he started. The orphanage was because of all those destitute children.

He wanted a way to encourage other believers. In fact he wrote this and let me quote the primary reason for establishing the orphan house was, that God may be glorified.

Should he be pleased to furnish me with the finances, showing that it is not a vain thing to trust in him and that thus the faith of his children may be strengthened. In other words he wanted to start something that only God could support so that the believing body would be amazed, and encouraged at the trustworthiness of God. This is how he went about doing because of this mission and perspective than one of the reasons why he never asked directly for any funding he wanted God to do it so clearly that everyone would be encouraged to new God. He did however publish a report published annually. It included personal stories and testimonies and he would mail it to everyone. He would ever donated any money, which of course had a powerful effect effect is an older man in his 70s. He wrote and I quote, we do not doubt that the Lord use these reports again and again as instruments of leading people to help us with their financial just simply told the story what God was doing. George and his family never took a formal salary maintain the position. History records that he administrated about $100 million base. There were times in his early years, especially when the finances didn't come in until just the next time you probably heard some of the stories I did verify one of the more popular ones was indeed true. On one occasion he cited breakfast at one orphan house. It 300 orphan gathered there for breakfast.

They had the plate in front of them. Nothing in the plate in the header cups in front of the nothing. The cuts nothing deep and no money. He stood and gave thanks for their breakfast. He actually stood and prayed.

Thank you Lord for this food as he sat down and I'm sure his staff wondered okay now what a knock came at the front gate that allowed a baker to enter who had been unable to sleep the night before and he explained that he knew he must bake bread for everyone and he came to deliver as soon as he left the another knock came in the village Newcomen's cart had just broken down in front of the orphanage not given entrance saying that the milk would spoil.

By the time he fixed his wagon and would you be in any immediate need of free milk. They just so happen to be in need of it was enough for 300 children, George Mueller would write.

This is an old man. It simply needed to be seen that if I a poor man simply by prayer and faith could establish and carry out an orphan house. It could be instrumental in strengthening the faith of Christian and serve as a testimony to the unconverted of the reality of the thing of God to catch George Mueller wanted to simply have the opportunity to become a visual aid to the world of God's faithful to demonstrate the God of Israel that God would as he would write putting one of his favorite texts, not withhold anything. He considered good for those who walk up rightly by the end of his ministry and and his ministry would end with his life. It would continue under the leadership of his son-in-law long after his death, but the end of Mueller's life. The Institute would have distributed 244,000 biblical resources 285,000 entire Bibles 1.4 million New Testament they would've supported numerous missionaries in one of their favorites happened to be Hudson Taylor and Houston cared for and educated just over 10,000 orphans. What can't be fully calculated. However, is the effect of his ministry on the believing church that one author said that his ministry so inspired others that at least 100,000 orphans were cared for during his lifetime in England alone, but I have to tell you after if I can just cannot bring this thing down to a close here to study the life of George Mueller it is to study the life of someone who simply took God at his word.

There was a simplicity about he loved to read the word he would read it just over 200 time is like Annie had a very simple, transparent prayer life which continues to be so so commendable, but it was EE just simply encourage everybody to trust God and the God was trustworthy. In fact, I discovered this particular tradition when each child reached young adulthood and and was able to live on his own.

George Mueller would bring that young adult in pray with him and what he would do as he would put the Bible in their right hand and he would put a piece of money, according in their left-hand and before he prayed he would look at that young adult and say he would explain that if they held onto what was in the right hand God would make sure there was just enough in there left so that cellular when he gave his life to Christ. You remember he was struck by believers getting on their knees to pray, that would become his practice as well. When he was 92 years of age he led the prayer meeting at the church. The pastor for decades on a Wednesday evening. He had asked the next morning that his hosts bring him a cup of tea when they knocked on the door the following morning at 7 AM. There was no answer.

They entered and they found him beside his bed, having died while praying on his remains a living testimony to the church to this day God will not withhold any good thing to those who walk up rightly does good things might be steep hills.

They might be twisting turning God will keep his promise.

God is creating divine arts every one of our life and with a higher than earth perspective were going to get that perfectly later. But even now see that God is indeed providing everything necessary for those who know him. Those who follow one of the reasons why the life an example of a man like George Mueller is so profound is because it's so rare. This is wisdom for the heart with Stephen. This series is called legacies lines look for it on our website. Wisdom online.or call us today at 86 648 Bible. Next time we look at the life of a relatively unknown William Cowper with us here on wisdom for the