George Mueller.  1805 – 1898.

Here’s a man who faced great financial uncertainty almost every day of his life.  Yet, he has become known as one of the most generous missionaries ever to have lived.

Earlier this year I enjoyed reading George Mueller: Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans.  It’s a children’s book and we got it for Avery but the lessons in it really apply to adults!

George was most famous for caring for impoverished orphans in England.  He built massive orphanages during a time when the government offered very little assistance and the attitude of the day was harsh.

Here are a few things that really impressed us about Mueller:

• He prayed about everything!
• He saw huge obstacles as opportunites for God to work.
• Life was lived in the context of absolute surrender.  George was born to a wealthy family in Germany.  He met the Lord and walked away from a lucrative career.  Early on he thought he was supposed to be a missionary reaching out to European Jews.  But the Lord directed him, through consistent prayer, to move to England and serve orphans.

There were days at the orphanages when not even a few schillings were available to buy breakfast.  Every time, George prayed and waited.  Never did they go hungry.

At his death in 1898, the Liverpool newspaper wrote concerning the 10,000+ orphans he had rescued and the vast sum of money required to care for them:

“How was this wonder accomplished?  Mr. Mueller has told the world that it was the result of ‘Prayer.’  The rationalism of the day will sneer at this declaration; but the facts remain.”

During Mueller’s lifetime:

• 1.5 million British Pounds (over $2 million dollars in the 1800’s – a TON o cash for those days) flowed through donations to the orphanages and the Scriptural Knowledge Institution, which Mueller launched and which still supports missionaries to this day.
• In 1998 alone, over 100 years after his death, the SKI gave over $500,000 to missionaries.