George Müller: Rooted in the Trustworthiness of God

Articles

Jul 8

Originally prepared for Lighthouse Community Church, Youth Group, 2025.

I like talking about money. Weird, I know. But I like talking about money because everyone here has money, spends money, wants money. And, I think it is particularly helpful to talk about money in a sermon about how God is worthy of trust is because we often limit our trust to “spiritual things.”

If I say, “You need to trust God with your soul, your eternity,” we say, “Of course.” Now, it’s good to trust God in that way, but such things can often feel abstract, almost imaginary. But if I say, “You need to trust God with your money,” immediately things become concrete. Do you trust God to provide? Do you believe He will give you everything you need to live? Do you trust Him to give you the money to pay for rent, for your car, for your wedding, for your children?

Now, in the church, we often don’t like talking about money. It feels icky, somehow unspiritual. But nothing could be further from the truth. Biblical Christianity transforms your entire life, including how you think about money, and ultimately who you trust with your money.

Scripture says you cannot serve money and God simultaneously; you must choose one as Master (Matt 6:24).
you came into this world with nothing; you will leave with nothing (Job 1:21).
it is hard, no, impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt 19:23).
It’s not your money. You are a steward of God’s money, commanded to put it to work for Him, so that when He returns, He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:21).

Jesus talked more about money than anyone else in all of Scripture. And while it would be worthwhile to study that (I recommend “The Treasure Principle” by Randy Alcorn) in this sermon I just want to focus on one idea, one biblical truth about money from Hebrews 13:5.

Hebrews 13:5

When you boil Hebrews 13:5 down, the question about money—indeed, even about your life—is simply this: “Will you trust God?” Hebrews 13:5 (ESV) 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

To paraphrase, the verse says, “Don’t live your life enslaved to loving money. Be free from the love of money! Be content, happy, satisfied with what you have already been given. How? By remembering what your God has said: ‘Never ever will I leave you; never ever will I abandon you! In other words, ‘I will 100% always take care of you!’”

% To put it simply, if you trust God to take care of you, you will not look to money to take care of you. If you trust that God is your Father and Provider, you will not thirst for more money to get what you want. In other words, if you love money, you have a problem trusting God. But if you trust God, you will never have a problem loving money.

% Imagine what it would be like to trust God for all of your issues, instead of trusting what money can do! The world and our sinful flesh say:

Want to be loved? Buy a new fit.
Want to fit in? Buy these shoes.
Want to play better? Buy this gear.
Want to be valuable? Buy luxury.
Want to be smarter? Pay for this service.
Want to be healthy? Buy these vitamins.
Want to be happy? Get this $7 boba.
Want to be cool? Buy this $20 smoothie.

But does it ever really work? Can money truly buy love, security, comfort, pleasure, happiness, acceptance, eternal life? Of course not. And yet, how quickly we turn to money to solve all problems, instead of the everlasting God!

God owns all the world and everything in it. Dear child of God, why do you fret about what to eat, what to drink, what to wear?
God controls every event of your life, and has planned all things from before He made the world. Child of God, why do you worry about getting into the right school, about getting a high paying job., about the right kind of future?

If you are a child of God, you must never forget that He who cares for all the world cares for you. He is Your Heavenly Father.

But imagine:

What would it look like to trust your Heavenly Father to provide for all your needs?
What would it be like to pray, “Heavenly Father, give us this day our daily bread” (Matt 6:11) and have absolute confidence He would do it—every single day?
What would it be like to be happy in God with simple food and shelter (1 Tim 6:8)?
What would it be like to fix our hope on God, knowing that He richly gives us all things to enjoy (1 Tim 6:17)?
What would it be like to believe with a child-like faith what Jesus said, that if you ask, He will give; that if you seek, you will find; that if you knock, He will open (Matt 7:7-11)?
What would it look like to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and trust that He will provide all your necessities (Matt 6:33)?

It would look like George Müller, the pastor, orphan-lover, and missionary from the 19th century. He was a man who lived confident that his Heavenly Father would always provide.

Overview of George Müller

George Müller was born in 1805 and lived to the age of 92. He pastored the same church in Bristol, England for over 60 years.

And, he established and worked for The Scripture Knowledge Institute for Home and Abroad, which existed for 5 goals:

The establishment of schools to teach the Bible to both children and adults
Bible distribution
Missionary support
Christian literature distribution
And “to board, clothe and Scripturally educate _destitute_children who have lost both parents by death.”

In his lifetime, [^1]:

he received and dispensed £1,381,171 GBP, approximately $241 million USD (2025).
with that money, he established 117 schools, offering Bible teaching to more than 120,000 people;
he distributed 285,000 complete Bibles, 1.45 million New Testaments, and 244,000 tracts and Christian books;
he funded almost two hundred missionaries all around the world, including Hudson Taylor, who evangelized the innermost parts of China;
and, he cared for 10,024 orphans, even building 5 orphanage houses

He did all of this while preaching over 10,000 sermons and caring for a growing church that grew to almost 700 members—in other words, just about as big as Lighthouse.

By themselves, the numbers are amazing. But even more than the numbers, I must stress both how and why he did these things.

How

How: all of Müller’s life was fueled and funded by prayer.

At the age of 25, as a pastor of a small church he eliminated the common practice of pew rental fees (which funded his salary) and instead put a box in the chapel where people could donate to his needs anonymously. And he gave up his $10k USD (2025) church salary—that is, he forsook the promise of being paid—choosing instead to rely entirely upon God to meet his needs.

To depend on God alone for his needs, Müller added two rules:

“it appeared to me right that henceforth I should ask no man, not even my beloved brethren and sisters, to help me” (Chapter IV). If he had a need, instead of going to man, he would go to the Lord in prayer.
He would never take a loan or go into debt, believing that if it was God’s will to pay for something, He would first provide the money.

Müller applied these rules not only to his own needs, but even to the needs of the Scripture Knowledge Institute, including the orphanages. So, by prayer and prayer alone, he provided for the livelihoods of all his workers, the maintenance of five large properties, and the care of thousands of orphans. Although some days were hard—and for some seasons they indeed lived literally meal to meal—God never failed to provide. They never missed even one meal. They never lacked any necessity for long. And they never went into debt. Their Heavenly Father, who had sworn He would never leave them nor forsake them, provided everything they needed.

Think about that.

Missionaries and their families to support, Bible school teachers to pay. No guaranteed income.
Thousands of orphan mouths to feed, housekeepers to pay, childcare workers salaries to meet. No guaranteed income.
Clothes for thousands of little ones, twice the number of shoes, books, toys, etc. No income.
His own needs. His wife and his daughter. No guaranteed income.

His trust was in God and God alone. Müller decided to make all of his life fueled and funded by prayer.

But why?

Why

Müller wanted to strengthen the faith of those who doubted God. At the time—and even today—people were tempted to work so much that they had no time for the Word of God and prayer. Sure, the Christian might agree that Scripture was good, but still contend, “How else am I supposed to provide for my family other than by working?” In other words, “Scripture and prayer are good, but not practical; I must rely upon myself, not my Heavenly Father, to provide.”

Müller wrote,

I longed, therefore, to have something to point the brother to, as a visible proof that our God and Father is the same faithful God that he ever was,—as willing as ever to prove himself the living God, in our day as formerly, to all who put their trust in him. (Chapter VII)

Müller fueled and funded his life and his work by prayer in order to prove that God was still a good Father who provides for His children. He lived to demonstrate that the Word of God and the God of the Word are worth trusting with everything.

I must emphasize this point. Müller was not driven primarily by pity for the poor or by compassion for the destitute orphans. He cared about suffering, especially the suffering of the helpless. But his life was not driven primarily by a love for fellow mankind; it was driven by a burning desire to declare the faithfulness of God and the trustworthiness of Scripture.

He was a pastor, a preacher, a missionary, not a social worker or a humanitarian. He knew that God was real, that God was sovereign, that He was the same yesterday, today, and forever; and therefore knew that the same God of the Word, who was trustworthy then was trustworthy now.

What about you? You church kid and new kid, you doubter and faithful, you pastor’s kid and unbeliever do you know that this God is real, that His promises are true? Do you know that He is worthy to be trusted with everything? Do you know that He is “as willing as ever to prove himself the living God, in our day as formerly, to all who put their trust in him”?

George Müller did. But he didn’t start that way.

George Müller’s Life

Pre-Conversion

George Müller was born on September 27, 1805 in the kingdom of Prussia (modern day Germany). Before he became a Christian, he was enslaved to a love for money. Before the age of 10, he was regularly stealing money from his father. As a teenager, he gambled and got drunk. And all the while, he went to church, and was even confirmed as a “true believer” by the church at the age of 15.

But he loved money more than God. While away at boarding school, he found a new way to steal money. He would collect debts from those who owed money to his father, and yet lie about receiving it, or lie about the amount he received, so that he could spend the money on his pleasures. His thievery came to a head when he took a lavish three-week vacation. The first week, he booked a hotel on credit, drove up the bill with lavish living, and then skipped out of town without paying. He did this to three separate hotels, three weeks in a row, until he was finally caught and imprisoned on December 18, 1821, at the age of 16. He was in jail for 25 days. <! data-preserve-html-node="true" data-preserve-html-node="true"--, because his father had to pay back all his debts and arrange passage from the jail to his home. -->

Upon arriving home, his father commanded him to go to super strict school in the city of Halle, and gave him money to travel there and apply. Instead, he deceived his father and went to an easier school in Nordhausen. Müller describes his days there:

“[I] lived secretly in much sin, in consequence of which I was taken ill, and for thirteen weeks confined to my room. Still, I cared nothing about the word of God. I had about three hundred books of my own, but no Bible.” (Chapter I)

Eventually, at age 20, he enrolled at the University of Halle, resolving to try to be good, not for God’s sake but in order to get a job as a clergyman. This wasn’t done out of a love for God or for mankind but out of a desire for a cushy job and a stable income.

But his sinful ways didn’t change. At university, he and two friends decided to go on a trip to Switzerland. To get permission from the school, Müller forged letters from their parents. To fund the trip, they offered up their precious books. But, as the trip treasurer, Müller stole from his two fellow travelers, fudging the numbers to make his expenses only 2/3 of what it cost them.

Application: If you had met such a man—a thief, a liar, a drunkard, a criminal, a hypocrite, a lover of money—what would you think of him? Would you think that God could do anything good with a sinner like this?

Conversion

Just months after his Switzerland escapade, in November of 1825, Müller attended a Christian meeting for the first time, where they read the Bible, sang, prayed, and read a sermon. He described it as the “turning-point in my life.” For the first time, the gospel became real to him. God became real to him.

Now my life became very different… My wicked companions were given up; the going to taverns was entirely discontinued; the habitual practice of telling falsehoods was no longer indulged in… I read the Scriptures, prayed often, loved the brethren, went to church from right motives, and stood on the side of Christ, though laughed at by my fellow-students. (Chapter II)

In a moment, the Word of God had done its work. It transformed a hater of God who loved money into a lover of God who treasured God over all things. Müller saw the emptiness and worthlessness of his sinful life, and believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, that Christ died for his sins and rose from the dead, and that everyone who believes in Him has eternal life.

Orphanage Ministry

Soon after his conversion, Müller felt called to be a missionary. But through happenstance, although he was from Prussia (Germany), he eventually became a pastor of a small church in Bristol, England. While preaching there, taking no income from the church, he began praying about starting an orphanage house. At the time, there were no social welfare programs, no government interventions. If your parents died and no family members took you in, you’d live on the streets in squalor, sleeping in the bitter cold, stealing to eat and drink, neck deep in crime and mischief.

Particularly, Müller prayed for God to provide 1000 GBP ($20,000 USD 2025) and suitable workers to begin the orphan ministry. After he shared about this idea with his church, the necessities began to pour in. The next year, 1836, he rented a house, and immediately had 43 orphans apply. Originally they wanted to take only girls 7 to 12 years old, but the work soon expanded to younger girls, and to boys. By June 1837, the goal of 1000 GBP had been reached.

Müller took meticulous notes on when he prayed for funds and the date funds were received. One poor sister, making only 1 GBP a month, gave 100 GBP to the work. That’s the equivalent of making $200 USD/month, ($1000 USD/year) and then giving away $20,000 USD. Or, if your annual salary right now is $50k, it be like donating $1M.

One brother, whom Müller never met, gave 500 GBP (~$80,000) for the work. And there were many more small donations, sometimes silver spoons, clothing, beds, trunks, watches, jewelry—most of it given by the ordinary and the poor. Whether the gift be large or small, God knew their hearts, and was glorified by them all.

In less than three years (by the end of 1837) there were three rented Orphan Houses housing 81 children. All fed, clothed, taught, provided for by prayer, without ever telling a human soul about their need! imagine having 81 mouths to feed!

Trial

The next year was full of trial. Their savings had been 780 GBP (almost $140,000 USD 2025), but by July 12, 1838, they were down to 20 GBP ($400 USD 2025). They literally lived week to week—no, meal to meal—at night not knowing how they would pay for breakfast, and in the morning not knowing how to purchase dinner.

What would you do if you were in Müller shoes? Where would you turn for help? What doubts would threaten to invade your mind? Maybe God’s Word is not true. Maybe His promises do fail. Maybe He doesn’t love us at all.

From the very beginning, Müller and his workers had committed to make their needs known only to God and to never go into debt. Their only hope was God. And so to God they turned. They held daily prayer meetings, sometimes twice daily, for the Lord to provide. Müller gave all his savings—literally every penny—and the orphanage workers also gladly contributed to ensure the children never went hungry. They began selling extraneous items. And small donations, a few shillings here, a few pounds there, came in by the hour. Funds came in like the dripping of a faucet, not a flood. Always, it was enough for the next need—but no more.

Need after need arose. Milk and bread for food. Coal and oil for heating. House cleaning, rent. Always, it seemed, their funds were low. Onlooking unbelievers drooled, ready to criticize the work the moment they found evidence an orphan went uncared for. But, the Lord never failed to provide. At the last moment, they would always have something; no one ever went hungry.

In less than three years, it seemed like this faith experiment, this casting all upon the mighty shoulders of God to provide for all their needs, was failing. But their faith did not waiver. As Müller wrote during one hard week:

During this week [God] had helped me so repeatedly and in such a remarkable way, as it regards the Orphan Houses, that it would have been > doubly sinful not to have trusted in him> for help under this fresh difficulty. (Chapter X)

God’s past faithfulness convinced Müller that God would be faithful still. And so, they kept praying, and kept trusting. The six month trial abated when a sister gave 100 GBP, about $18,000. Yet, the entire trial, the Lord had not failed. The orphans were healthy and provided for, and day by day had all they needed.

Further Work

This was not the last time things would be hard, and yet God would always come through. Every year, Müller produced a Narrative, sort of like a yearly report/newsletter, that detailed the work of God over that past year. He sent out the publication to those who asked for it, and to all who had donated in then past, as a way to inspire the global church to pray.

I’ve read these Narratives, and they are filled with stories that demonstrate over and over again that God is a trustworthy provider for His people. There would be need, even dire need, and the Lord would meet that need through a gift of some kind, or some strange providence.

One time, Muller shares.

“Feb. 2, 1848. This morning, on my walk before breakfast, I felt myself led out of my usual track into a direction in which I had not gone for some months. In stepping over a stile I said to myself: "Perhaps God has a reason even in this." About five minutes afterwards I met a Christian gentleman who gave me two sovereigns [~$200 USD, 2025] for the orphans, and then I knew the reason why I had been led this way.” (CHAPTER XVIII.)

Trials would not always end quickly; sometimes it prolonged many months. But even though donors had no idea of the present lack of funds (and Mr. Müller refused to make the needs known to any but God), their gifts would come at exactly the right moment. How? Because although Müller never asked men for their money, he freely asked God for men’s money. And at the right moment, God would move their hearts to give.

But, you may ask, “Doesn’t this living meal to meal become discouraging? Why doesn’t God always provide lavishly instead of stringing them along meal by meal?” To this, Müller replied:

Such [hard] days were expected from the commencement of the work; nay, more than this, the chief end for which the Institution was established is, that the church of Christ at large might be benefited by seeing manifestly the hand of God stretched out on our behalf in the hour of need, in answer to prayer. > Our desire, therefore, is, not that we may be without trials of faith, but that the Lord graciously would be pleased to support us in the trial> , that we may not dishonor him by distrust. (Chapter 12)

If it was for the fame of God’s name, Müller and his workers were willing to endure any trial. Their faith was a witness to all the world that God was—and still is—real.

Phase II

God continued to be faithful, and continued to supply for their needs. Müller opened a fourth orphan house in 1843. But by 1845, they had quickly outgrown the houses they were renting, and were causing quite a disturbance to their neighbors. (Imagine living next to 100 children!)

So, in November 1845, Müller began praying for God to provide a place to build; he estimated the cost to be about 10,000 GBP (almost $2M USD). On Dec 10, he received the first donation towards the building—1000 GBP. Three days later, a Christian architect offered to draw up the building plans for free. A few months later, he found a suitable piece of land called in a place called Ashley Down.

By May 1847, the fund for the New Orphan House building topped 11,000 GBP, furnished by a few big gifts and many smaller ones. On June 18, 1849, construction was complete, and the 118 orphans moved in.

But kids kept applying, and there was not enough room. And more importantly, God wasn’t done giving to Müller’s work.

The second New Orphan House was completed in 1856. It cost 35,000 GBP.
The third New Orphan House was completed in 1862. It cost 41,000 GBP.
The fourth New Orphan House and fifth New Orphan house were planned simultaneously. No. 4 opened in Nov 1868, and No. 5 opened Jan 1870, costing 115,000 GBP.

In case you weren’t counting, that’s approximately 202,000 GBP, or $35 million USD (2025)—all raised by prayer and paid for in full (without a loan) before beginning construction. Five New Orphan Houses with room for 2000 orphans for Müller’s work to continue.

But, as important as caring for helpless orphans was to Müller, his greater care was for their spiritual needs. His yearly reports are dotted with rejoicing over the spiritual conversations he had with the children, their baptisms, and the church’s acceptance of them into communion. Hundreds came to faith through the orphanage. Even as Müller and his workers cared for the physical needs of a thousands orphans, they ministered even more so to their souls.

Missionary[^2]

This concern for spiritual needs over physical needs is especially apparent in the last season of Müller’s life. In 1870, Müller’s wife Mary died. He preached a wonderful funeral sermon from Psalm 119:68 “You are good and do good; Teach Me Your statues.” Müller was 64. He remarried in 1876, at the age of 71, to Susannah Grace Sangar.[^3]

And instead of retiring to a comfortable life, he fulfilled his lifelong ambition of becoming a missionary, embarking went on a 17-year missionary journey. He went to England, Scotland, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, France, Spain, Italy, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Russia, Poland, India, South Wales, Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tasmania, New Zealand, Austria—traveling over 200,000 miles to 42 countries, preaching every day he could, proclaiming that God was just as trustworthy as Scripture said. Tens of thousands heard the story of God’s faithfulness to a man laboring in Bristol, England, providing for thousands of orphans by prayer.

Death & Legacy

And finally, on March 10, 1898, George Müller died, entering his heavenly reward. He was wifeless (his second wife, Susannah, had died in 1895) and childless (his only surviving daughter, Lydia, had died in 1890)—but his funeral was attended by 10,000 people, including 1,500 orphans cared for by his orphanages.

Today, over 125 years later, The George Müller Charitable Trust continues his work, especially through the still existing Scriptural Knowledge Institute. They remain committed to Müller’s same principles: distribution of Scripture, supporting missionaries, caring for the needy, and attaining funds by prayer alone.

In addition, other organizations, like HeartCry Missionary Society, founded by Paul Washer in 1988, follow the same spirit, trusting in God alone to provide. In 2023 alone, HeartCry received and expended $10M supporting over 350 missionary families in over 62 countries.

The measure of Müller’s life is hard to tell. The lives of his 10,000 orphans were changed forever, and the impact their lives had on the world is a story yet incomplete. While alive, he encouraged millions of Christians by his example of simple faith. And forever, all future generations who will look at him will know, with irrefutable proof, that God is same yesterday, today, and forever, faithful to provide for His people, eager to prove Himself trustworthy to all who put their hope in Him.

Principles

To close, I want to share 5 principles from his life, 5 takeaways for you as you reflect on Müller and his God.

1. God can save and use anyone, even you.

1 Timothy 1:16 (ESV) 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost [of sinners], Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

God can save anyone. Müller had unbelieving parents, grew up a money-lover, a thief, a liar, and yet by the power of the gospel was made totally new. Your sin, your poor upbringing, your faithless childhood does not disqualify you from being saved through Jesus Christ. Christ came to save the worst of sinners; which means He can save even you.

And, God can use anyone. Muller, a liar and money-lover, saved by the power of God at age 20, would become one of the most generous men who ever lived. That’s what you call divine irony, when God saves the worst, and turns our expectations on their head!

2. God is worthy of all your trust.

Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

God is trustworthy, and He does not change. That means the promises in His Word are as real and as powerful as if they were made this very day. Today, dear Christian, he says that He is with you, He will help you, He will hold you up.

That trust will look different in the details of your life than in Müller’s life. In fact, Müller says:

every believer is > > not> > called upon to establish orphan houses, charity schools, etc., and trust in the Lord for means, (Chapter XIV, year 1841). Also: I do > > not> > mean to say that it would be acting against the precepts of the Lord to seek for help in his work by personal and individual application to believers…(Chapter XV).

Müller was not saying, “Be exactly like me.” Rather, his faith experiment showed all believers that they,

in the simple confidence of faith, [are called] to cast all their burdens upon him, to trust in him for everything, and not only to make everything a subject of prayer, but to expect answers to their petitions which they have asked according to his will and in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Chapter XIV, year 1841).

Müller labored and yes, even suffered, so that believers all over the world would

see the reality of dealing with God only, and that there is such a thing as the child of God having power with God by prayer and faith. (Chapter XV).

So, the point is not necessarily to give up a salary, never tell others of your need, and relinquishing all your savings. The point is trust God, with everything, like Muller did. God will always come through.

3. Don’t waste your trials.

James 1 (ESV) 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

Müller endured many trials, being often poor and without any earthly means. But he says, don’t run from these trials; lean in.

If we, indeed, desire our faith to be strengthened, we should > > not> > shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried, and, therefore, through the trial, be strengthened. But if we do not patiently wait for God's help [in the midst of trial], if we work a deliverance of our own, then at the next trial of our faith…we shall be again inclined to deliver ourselves; and thus, with every fresh instance of that kind, our faith will decrease;
whilst, on the contrary, were we to stand still in order to see the salvation of God, to see his hand stretched out on our behalf, trusting in him alone, then our faith would be increased,
and with every fresh case in which the hand of God is stretched out on our behalf in the hour of the trial of our faith, our faith would be increased yet more. (Chapter XIV)

When God tests our faith, He does so to grow our faith. If in the midst of hardship you trust yourself, or money, or human wisdom, you will waste the trial and your faith will decrease, not grow. But if you wait on God, and refuse to hope in anyone except for Him, He will grow your faith and make you strong. When life gets hard, don’t run away; run to God in prayer and trust Him.

4. Your greatest daily need is to be satisfied in God by feeding upon His Word and prayer.

Psalm 119:97 (ESV) Oh how I love your law! / It is my meditation all the day.

Müller prayed a ton. But he always connected his prayer life to Scripture.

…the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. …early in the morning [t]he first thing I did, …was, to begin to meditate on the word of God… for the sake of obtaining food for my own soul. …after a very few minutes…it turned almost immediately more or less into prayer. (Chapter XIII, 1841)

Often he would spend 2 hours reading Scripture and praying before breakfast. Müller read the Bible over 200 times in his life. During his later years, he read it four times a year. His love for Scripture and prayer is a rebuke to our slothful and small devotion to God.

Müller held especially dear two passages:

John 14:13–14 (ESV) 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
Romans 8:32 (ESV) 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?`

Do you love Scripture? Is it your food and drink? Do you daily feast on the Word, or do you just nibble every once in a while? The one who drinks deep from the well of the Word of life will never run dry; the one who neglects the Scriptures will never learn to delight in God. If you would imitate Müller’s faith, you must imitate his love for Scripture and prayer.

5. God is worthy of trust.

Hebrews 13:5 (ESV) 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Freedom from the love of money comes from being confident that God always provides.

If you believe that money alone can provide, it is not hard to love money. But if you believe that God’s promise is true—that He alone is your faithful provider, that He is always with you, that He will love you forever, that He will never fail to provide for even one of your needs—then you wouldn’t look to money as a god.

Müller once loved money, but having found a greater security in God his Savior, he freely gave it all back to God. A generous life flows out of a heart that trusts in God as a perfect Heavenly Father.

When you were just a newborn, you didn’t worry about paying for the diapers you were filling. When you were a toddler, you didn’t think about paying for all the clothes you were outgrowing. When you were in elementary school, you didn’t fret about expensive piano lessons or sports teams. And now that you’re in high school, you don’t think about saving money for college—and you definitely are not thinking about saving for retirement.

Why? Because your parents provided everything you needed. One day you will outgrow depending on your parents for everything; but you never outgrow being a child of God. God provides for His children. You can trust in Him—for everything.

Our passage for tonight Hebrews 13:5 teaches us that the question of money, of generosity, of the future, is simply this: “Will you trust God?” Will you trust Him to give you all that you need? Will you believe what Jesus said?

Matthew 7:9–11 (ESV) 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Conclusion

Never has God failed His people. The gifts that He gives are always good, and when He holds something back, it’s because it would not yet be good for you. So, dear Christian, trust this generous God—with everything.

Footnotes

[^1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M%C3%BCller

[^2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M%C3%BCller#Evangelism

[^3] https://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/bMüller5.html

Reflection Questions

God worked in amazing ways in George Müller’s life. What stood out to you? How does his example demonstrate that God is worthy to be trusted, even today?
Which of the five principles stands out to you? Why?
There are many promises in Scripture where God promises to give us everything we ask for (i.e., Rom 8:32, John 14:13-14). So, why does He still withhold good gifts? (Hint: what timescale are these promises for?)
What is something you struggle to trust God with? Or what’s a promise from God’s Word that you struggle to fully believe? Why?
Spend some time praying for one another, to trust God in all things.