The Reality of the Things of God

In 1836 a young pastor by the name of George Mueller opened his first children’s home in Bristol, England. Thirty five years later he had built five huge orphan homes providing total care for over 2,000 orphans with a staff of over 200.  All of this with no money to begin with and without ever asking anyone but God to give him anything. Most Christians familiar with his story regard George Mueller as the premier modern day example of the power of prayer. But it might interest you to know why he embarked on his venture of faith. Mr. Mueller saw several things among the members of his congregation that bothered him. He saw men working 16 hour days who had no time or strength left to build or enjoy the life of God. He also saw church members carrying on their business in the same unethical ways that their non-Christian counterparts did. Both groups of people readily admitted they should be living and doing things differently but there was no visible trust that God would somehow provide for them if they conducted themselves otherwise. In his own words Mr. Mueller said that these depressing circumstances “were used by God to awaken in my heart the desire of setting before the church at large and before the world, a proof that He has not in the least changed and this seemed to me best done by establishing an orphan house. It needed to be something which could be seen even by the natural eyes.”  So he was moved to show his doubting flock that there is “reality in the things of God.” 

Mr. Mueller didn’t say it; someone else did after his time. But he would have contributed a strong “Amen” to this statement: “The life of faith has not been tried and found wanting. It has been considered impractical and not tried.”  Nothing much has changed, has it! There are still many among us who haven’t the slightest expectation that God still intends to answer our prayers and honor our faith in Him. Nearly forty years after he began his experiment in faith, in 1874 (when he still had nearly a quarter of a century to live), Mueller wrote: “I have joyfully dedicated my life to this great need, to give a practical demonstration to all who need it of the blessedness and power of the life of faith.”  Which of you will volunteer to be the next George Mueller to our generation?

 

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