I have referred to George Müller a few times in the past. He has an amazing testimony of Faith. Well known for operating his orphanages by trusting God for every need… there are more than a few stories of his prayers being answered for money, food, workers, equipment… and even the wind.
Müller himself calculated and/or recorded approx 50,000 answered prayers, and commented that on any given day when he didn’t pray, his day was ultimately, unsuccessful.
He cared for 10,024 orphans during his lifetime. He opened 117 schools offering christian education to 120,000 children. Müller only accepted unsolicited gifts. He wanted to be fully committed to serving God on Faith alone. By the time of his death, his organisation disbursed about £1,4 million pounds (in current currency, around £113 million pounds) They distributed 285,407 Bibles, 1,459,506 New Testaments and 244,351 religious texts. (translated into twenty other languages) and supporting numerous other missionaries around the world.
What a life!
But here is the actual miracle: It didn’t start out that way.
Müller was a sinful youth. A Thief (stole government money from his father, a tax collector, and stole tithes from the church) a liar and a gambler. While his mother was dying at age 14, he opted to rather drink and gamble with friends.
Müller described his conversion “…despite my sinful lifestyle and cold heart, God had mercy on me..” and He came to repentance at a prayer meeting. Most stories switch to the miracles here, but the truth of the matter was that Müller, was completely untrained and had many blunders in the beginning especially (buying lottery tickets to fund missions) and was advised seek deeper Christian Faithfulness.
According to history, Müller struggled with his sins. He fell into lies and drunkenness and other sins, but would each time return to Christ and repent, eventually quitting his most besetting vices through the power of prayer.
(https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/even-the-wind-obeyed – For more about George Müller)
…and this is the most comforting thing for me. We see it all over the bible. Men and women who would be deemed failures and unworthy of God’s Grace, and God’s provision even, being used according to His plans and Purpose. They didn’t do everything right, quite the contrary, they made massive blunders, but they always returned to God… repented, and started again, the slate washed clean.
George Müller, the thief and liar became the custodian of money and people. Müller himself said, “The Lord pours in, while we continue to pour out.”
No matter how dirty you think you are, return to the Father, repent… and start again. And if you have to… start again, and start again… and start again!
