Focus: Putting all of our hope in God
Romans 8:24-25 (NKJV) For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
As hard as it is to admit, the way most of us learn best is through ‘experience’. When embarking on life’s journey as a young adult, we think we know more than enough. We wouldn’t dream of asking for help—and we sure don’t want advice. During the young impulsive years, we often spend more than we earn and if we are able to get credit cards, we will probably end up with a pile of debt. We have ‘hope’ that we will be able to make our payments, but the truth is, we just don’t have a lot of wisdom. We don’t want to ‘wait’ for things. We want it all—and we want it now.
The result of not being able to wait for things is a common cause of depression and addiction. When we’ve allowed ourselves too much liberty, it becomes awkward to face the truth. No wonder so many people seek ways to ‘escape’ from reality. So much grief could be avoided, if we could only realize the benefits of learning to wait. Great peace comes when we put our hope in God and trust Him to provide for our wants and needs.
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George Müller lived in Europe during the 1800’s. His young life was ‘rough’ to say the least. By his own admission, he was a gambler, a liar and a thief. George’s father worked as a tax collector. George stole money from his father when he was only ten years old. When George was fourteen, his mother was dying while he was off playing cards and drinking with his friends.
As wild and unruly as George was, his father’s plan was to steer him toward a religious education, to be trained for the vocation of a clergyman. George went along with the idea—not because he was interested in Christianity, but because of the possibility of having a lucrative position in the state church.
While studying divinity at the University of Halle, George was invited to a prayer meeting that was attended by some of his fellow students. At one of the meetings, George observed a man praying to God on his knees. This experience convinced George of his need for salvation. When he returned to his room that night, George knelt by his bed and prayed. The prayer he prayed was simple. He asked God to help him in his life and to bless him wherever he went and to forgive him of his sins. Right away, George stopped all of his bad habits and began to have hopes of becoming a missionary. He preached in churches around the area and gained experience by his involvement in other religious organizations.
George Müller is most remembered for starting several Christian schools and orphanages for children in England. He affected the lives of thousands of children and prepared them for life in exceptional ways, so that they would be equipped to work ‘above their status’ and have a respectable income when they were old enough to leave the orphanage. Something truly unique about George’s hope in God was that he was against receiving any government support and he didn’t believe in asking for finances or going into debt to meet the needs of the schools and orphanages he founded. He believed in taking his needs to God and trusting God to provide what he needed.
One day, the orphanage was completely out of food. The children had no idea. George had everyone sit down at the table and give thanks for breakfast. When they finished praying, there was a knock on the door. It was the baker who had brought enough fresh bread for all of them to eat. At the same time, a milk cart broke down in front of the orphanage and the milkman gave them all the fresh milk they needed because he would not be able to deliver it.
Mr. Müller kept impeccable records of all donations and uses of funds. He was extremely committed to making sure people were properly receipted and that they were notified in detail as to how any donation was used. Even though God greatly blessed his work, George Müller never lived a life of luxury. He kept his family on a very small budget and gave a large portion of what he was given in gifts for his own financial use back to support the ministry. It is estimated from the information in his financial statements that in today’s terms, his ministry received the equivalent of $90,000,000. Besides educating and caring for many hundreds of orphans, his ministry was able to reach out to children and families in the surrounding area who had physical, emotional, social or spiritual needs, and continues to do so today through the George Müller Charitable Trust.
This story shows what can happen when a person puts all of their hope in God and believes in His power to do the miraculous. The same power that transformed George Müller is still available today.
“To learn strong faith is to endure great trials. I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testings.” ~ George Mueller
Declaration: I will find new strength by putting all of my hope in God and believing in His power to transform me.
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All NEW STRENGTH posts are Copyright by Christina Cook Lee 2012. Please request permission to re-post or re-blog.
