Faith Lessons from a Spiritual Father – Part 2

My divine appointment with George Mueller that early Sunday morning several years ago continues to speak to me and sometimes-even shouts to grab my attention. When I read and re-read his life story what continues to come across loud and clear is a testimony of real, radical, faith! Throughout his life George was routinely asked, “What is faith? ” His response was:

Faith is the assurance that the thing, which God has said in His Word, is true, and that God will act according to what He has said in His Word. This assurance, this reliance on God’s Word this confidence is faith, (p. 30).

The bedrock truth for Mueller was to hear and trust in the Living Word and to become like a young, humble child. Listen to the words he shared at the age of 76:

I have been able with the simplicity of a child, to rely upon God. I have had my trials, but I have laid hold upon God, and so it has come to pass that I have been sustained. It is not only permission, but also positive command that He gives to cast the burdens upon Him. Oh, let us do it! My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee,’ (Ps. 55:22), (p. 35).

Muller’s life demonstrated that faith increases by the exercise of it. He goes on to add that the way we grow in faith is through – “trials, obstacles, difficulties, and sometimes defeats, are the very food of faith,” (p. 32). How right he is as you read the stories of so many heroes of faith-check out Hebrews 11-notice that each one’s faith was forged in the furnace of adversity. How often is this true in my own life? At times the Father strips away chunks of what I consider security. Or He has allowed me to face impossible situations? Then, I realize that He is all I have left; He is the only One who can truly help. He was simply waiting for this needy child to hand over to Him “the impossible” and allow Him to grant a glorious intervention of His mighty grace.

The first time I read about the works by George Mueller I was taken back, here I was a seminary student and thought, “I will never have the same gift of faith that this man does!” But then Mr. Mueller’s response was right there in the text for me:

This is a mistake –it is the greatest error- there is not a particle of truth in it. My faith is the same kind of faith that all God’s children have had. It is the same kind that Simon Peter had, and all Christians may obtain this like faith, (p. 36).

The key for Muller was to start by trusting God in a small ways. First he prayed and trusted the Lord for a smaller gifts like $10, then he slowly increased that prayer and trust for $100, or $1000. Over time the small amounts added up and because of the Father’s faithfulness more than a $1,000,000 was given to provide for the orphans under his care. Day by day, month by month, year-by-year George Mueller prayed and learned that if he trusted for something in accordance with His Father’s promises in His written Word the answer would come no matter how impossible it appeared.

Receive George Mueller’s words of encouragement in your OWN faith journey:

Fifty-one years, and God has never failed me! Trust Him for yourselves and find how true to His Word He is!! (p. 36).