George Muller is one of the most remarkable people I have ever read about. As a young pastor he felt burdened to do more than just preach in the church. He started what he called the Scriptural Knowledge Institute to train people in theology, as well as multiple orphanages. It isn’t just what he accomplished that makes him so fascinating, but how he funded these works. Muller committed to never talk about money with anyone outside of his wife or co-laborers in the ministry. He never held any fundraisers, or even asked for money. He never asked people for money because he asked the Lord for it. He believed it was the Lord’s work, so God would provide the money. Muller prayed for God to impress the needs upon people’s hearts, and that is what happened.
In his autobiography, Muller detailed dozens of examples of how they were down to their last few cents when somehow the needs would be met. One day the rent for the orphanage might be due, and the next day they might have needed coal to warm the buildings; no matter the need, it was always met at the last second by someone showing up, saying they felt like the Lord was leading them to bring money.
Muller wrote, “I have never had greater awareness of the Lord’s presence than when after breakfast nothing was left for dinner, and then the Lord provided the dinner for more than a hundred people; or when, after dinner there was nothing for the tea, and yet the Lord provided the tea—all this without one single human being having been informed about our need.”
Muller trusted that God, who owns cattle on a thousand hills, would always provide the necessary funds to keep the ministries going. It seems like a stressful strategy, but Muller said his way of living made the Lord feel “remarkably near.” He relied on his Father in heaven the way that any child relies on his earthly father. God is not a genie in a bottle, so this philosophy does not work for all of our wants or wishes, but the Lord does promise to provide for all of our needs. In Philippians 4:19 Paul wrote, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Like children, we should also develop a dependency on our Father instead of trying to be independent and self-made. If God feels far away, maybe you aren’t depending on Him enough, so He is letting you try to manage on your own. Also, if the Lord lays it on your heart to do something for someone, do it; that person might be depending on God, and you might be the means God is using to make it happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment