“Men ought always to pray, and not lose heart.” – Luke 18:1
Have you been praying for a need, situation, or loved one, and seem to have no answer? The bible encourages us to pray, and not to quit or give up.
George Müller (1805-1898) Bristol, England – (also spelled Mueller, mostly in American writing), was a remarkable man of faith, with a ministry that impacted the lives of thousands of orphans in England, through the work of Ashley Down Orphanage. He established over 100 schools in England, providing the education of over 120,000 children.
His work of caring for over 10,000 children went on for over 60 years, being a ministry wholly based on the conviction and power of a “prayer answering God.” Müller’s resolve was to never ask for money nor did he ever campaign for funding of his ministry to the orphans of England.
George Müller saw the remarkable answer to prayer for the needs of ministry. On some evenings, Müller was aware of that there was not ample food in storage, and that there would be no breakfast the next morning for his house full of orphans.
On the occasions he was known to pray through the night asking God to provide for the children. On such mornings following a night of prayer, Müller would wake to find oats, eggs, fruit, milk, and other food, which were secretly donated for the needs of the orphans, sitting on the doorstep. And God did it again and again, and again, as well as providing vast sums of money for the needs of orphan children.
Müller was known himself to live without any regard for his own needs, and upon death, he possessed a few coins in a coin purse, yet the modern equivalent of millions of dollars passed through his hands for the work of ministry. Rarely has a man lived so sacrficially.
Müller in the Foggy Atlantic
Müller often circled the globe, and traveled over 200,000 miles in a pre-aviation era, all to speak and lecture about orphan and education ministry. On one occasion, while sailing across the Atlantic from England to Canada, the ship where Müller was a passenger, the SS Sardinian sailed into a thick and halting fog, which was reported to be spread over a wide area of the sea.
Müller approached the captain with a firm resolve, informing him that he was required to be in attendance at a meeting in Quebec the following afternoon. The captain explained that for the saftey of the ship and all passengers, he had slowed the ship to a crawl during the heavy fog, and that he would not be able to resume for a lengthy period of time. The captain regretufully explained to Müller that he would regretfully miss the meeting.
Upon hearing this news, Müller requested a room below deck on the ship to pray for the lifting of the fog. The captain agreed, and gave him the chartroom of the ship, yet he still tried to convince Müller that prayer for the fog to lift would be a waste of time.
The captain accompanied him in the room, and George Müller prayed with simplicity and faith asking for the fog to lift. The captain then followed him in a prayer of his own, but Müller asked the captain to cease from praying! Müller stated that the captain’s prayer was formal and faithless, and that he was persuaded that his own prayer was being instantly answered by Christ.
Müller boldy announced,
“Captain, I have known my Lord for more than fifty years and there is not one instance that I have failed to have an audience with the King. Get up, Captain, for you will find that the fog has gone.”
When the the captain and George Müller returned to the bridge of the ship, they immediately saw that the fog had lifted, and Müller was able to keep his appointment the next afternoon after arriving in port on time.
It was reported that the Captain became a believer in Christ shortly after these events.
Müller’s 63 Years Prayer for His Friends
Müller was known to pray daily for 8 specific friends to come to Christ, and be saved. This daily prayer resulted in his friends coming to Christ, one after another. All but one. But Müller never stopped praying for his one unsaved friend. Müller’s words concerning this man’s life have been recorded.
“I have been praying for 63 years and 8 months for one man’s conversion. He is not saved yet, but he will be. How can it be otherwise? I am praying.”
George Müller was so convinced of the prayer answering God, he served. – But Müller never saw him come to Christ. He died at 93 years of age in the year of 1898.
At George Müller’s funeral, his friend for whom he was praying was in attendance, and as Mueller’s casket was being lowered into the grave, the man fell to his knees and cried out,
“Oh God, be merciful to a sinner like me!”
It was there in the dirt at the graveside, that George Müller’s friend gave his heart to Christ! The prayers of the man George Müller, were answered at last.
Axiom: Our prayers have the power to outlive us, and have the power to continue to produce a spiritual harvest to the glory of God.
Take heart! Don’t stop praying.
