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George Mueller
George Müller (1805–1898). Born on September 27, 1805, in Kroppenstedt, Prussia (now Germany), George Müller was a Christian evangelist and orphanage director known for his faith-driven ministry. A rebellious youth, he was imprisoned for theft at 16 before converting to Christianity in 1825 at a Moravian prayer meeting in Halle. He studied divinity in Halle and moved to England in 1829, pastoring a chapel in Teignmouth and later Ebenezer Chapel in Bristol. Rejecting a fixed salary, he relied on prayer for provision, a principle that defined his life. In 1836, he founded the Ashley Down Orphanage in Bristol, caring for over 10,000 orphans across his lifetime without soliciting funds, trusting God alone. His meticulous records, published in Narratives of the Lord’s Dealings, documented answered prayers, inspiring global faith. Married to Mary Groves in 1830 and later Susannah Sangar after Mary’s death, he had one surviving child, Lydia. Müller preached worldwide into his 80s, dying on March 10, 1898, in Bristol, and said, “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”
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Sermon Summary
George Müller recounts his tumultuous journey through deceit and lies, living a reckless life that ultimately led him to prison. Despite his attempts to impress others with fabrications, he faced the consequences of his actions, including being bailed out by his father and falling back into old habits. His final act of deception occurred while studying theology, where he and his friends forged documents for a vacation, only to be confronted with the truth later. A pivotal moment came when a friend invited him to a prayer meeting, which marked the beginning of his transformation and understanding of God's love. This experience led Müller to embrace the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Deceit, Lies and Prison
Once George Müller embarked upon a remarkable period of deceit and lies as he went from one hotel to another, often in the company of a woman, living a 'playboy' life, but with no money. After pawning valuable possessions and leaving his remaining belongings at one hotel as security, the law caught up with him and he ended up in prison. Even in prison George Müller told the most unbelievable lies to impress a fellow prisoner. After a month in prison his father bailed him out, settled his debts and beat him. For a while George Müller tried to please his father and indeed, tried to change his ways. It was not long however, before he was in debt again and this time he concocted a story of having been robbed and was more than compensated by his sympathetic friends. Further, he managed to get some of his debts written off and payment of the remaining ones delayed. When his friends eventually discovered the truth this did not seriously concern him. The last sinful escapade came when he was at Halle University studying theology. With three fellow students they forged papers and documents so that they could go on a vacation of worldly pleasure in Switzerland. George Müller even then managed to cheat his friends by having charge of the money and, through devious means, only paid two thirds of that paid by the others. After the Swiss holiday one member of the party, Beta, who was an old friend and fellow student of George Müller told him of a prayer meeting which he often attended. George Müller expressed a desire to go with him and it was that meeting which was to change his whole life. 'For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.' It pleased God to teach George Müller something of that precious truth.
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George Müller (1805–1898). Born on September 27, 1805, in Kroppenstedt, Prussia (now Germany), George Müller was a Christian evangelist and orphanage director known for his faith-driven ministry. A rebellious youth, he was imprisoned for theft at 16 before converting to Christianity in 1825 at a Moravian prayer meeting in Halle. He studied divinity in Halle and moved to England in 1829, pastoring a chapel in Teignmouth and later Ebenezer Chapel in Bristol. Rejecting a fixed salary, he relied on prayer for provision, a principle that defined his life. In 1836, he founded the Ashley Down Orphanage in Bristol, caring for over 10,000 orphans across his lifetime without soliciting funds, trusting God alone. His meticulous records, published in Narratives of the Lord’s Dealings, documented answered prayers, inspiring global faith. Married to Mary Groves in 1830 and later Susannah Sangar after Mary’s death, he had one surviving child, Lydia. Müller preached worldwide into his 80s, dying on March 10, 1898, in Bristol, and said, “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.”