Among the greatest landmarks of what can be accomplished through simple faith in God, are the great orphanages covering thirteen acres of ground on Ashley Downs, Bristol, England. When God put it into the heart of George Müller to build these orphanages, he had only two shillings (50 cents) in his pocket. Near the time of Müller’s death, there were five immense buildings of solid granite, capable of accommodating two thousand orphans. Müller’s primary goal of the orphanages’ work was that God might be magnified by the fact that the orphans under his care were provided with all they needed only by prayer and faith, without anyone being asked by him or his fellow laborers, whereby it may be seen that God is faithful and hears prayer. In 1874 Müller reflected on his objective: “I have joyfully dedicated my life to this great end, to give a practical demonstration to all who need it of the blessedness and power of the life of faith.”

Müller was a native of Germany, born at Kroppenstüdt in 1805. His father, a revenue collector for the government, was a worldly-minded man. He supplied George and his brother with plenty of money when they were boys, and they spent it very foolishly. George deceived his father about how much money he spent and how he spent it. He also stole government money during his father’s absence. His father, wishing him to become a Lutheran clergyman, sent him to school at Halberstadt at the age of ten, and he attended higher classical schools until 1825, when, having passed his examination, he went to the University of Halle in Prussia.

In his young manhood, Müller lived a godless life, but at the age of twenty-one, he was suddenly converted to God at a prayer meeting held in the house of a pious tradesman. At this meeting, he found the Lord Jesus Christ and became then and there a truly converted character, his sole desire henceforth was to live to the glory of Him Who had called Müller out of darkness into His marvelous light.

In 1828, Müller offered himself to the London Missionary Society as a missionary to the Jews. He was well-versed in the Hebrew language and had a great love for it. He went to England in 1829, at twenty-four years of age, bringing with him no letters of introduction, no money, no name, no recommendations, and only a very imperfect knowledge of the English language.  Shortly after landing, he wrote in his journal, “My whole life shall be one service for the living God.”

Müller felt that the Lord was leading him to begin at once the Christian work he was longing to do, and as the London Missionary Society did not see proper to send him out without the prescribed course of training, he decided to trust the Lord for the means of support. Soon after this, he became pastor of Ebenezer Chapel, Teignmouth, Devonshire. His marriage to Miss Mary Groves, a Devonshire lady, followed. She was always of the same mind as her husband, and their married life was a very happy one.

In 1832 Müller felt that his work in Teignmouth had ended, and he began his labors in Bristol as co-pastor with his friend Mr. Craik. Without salaries or rented pews, their labors were greatly blessed at Gideon and Bethesda chapels. Ten days after the opening of Bethesda, there was such a crowd of people inquiring about the way of salvation that it took four hours to minister to them. Membership more than quadrupled in a short time. Müller continued to preach there as long as he lived, even after he began his great work for orphans. At the time of his death, he had a congregation of about two thousand persons there.

In 1834 Müller started the Scripture Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad. Its object was to aid Christian day schools, to assist missionaries, and to circulate the Scriptures. This institution was without worldly patronage, without asking anyone for help, without contracting debts, and without committees, subscribers, or memberships, but through faith in the Lord alone it had obtained and disbursed no less a sum than £1,500,000 ($7,500,000) at the time of Müller’s death. The bulk of this was spent on the orphanage. At the end of Müller’s life on earth, 122,000 people had been taught in the schools supported by these funds; and about 282,000 Bibles and 1,500,000 Testaments had been distributed by means of the same fund. Also, 112,000,000 religious books, pamphlets and tracts had been circulated; missionaries had been aided in all parts of the world; and no fewer than ten thousand orphans had been cared for by means of this same fund.

At the age of seventy, Müller began to make great evangelistic tours. He traveled 200,000 miles around the world preaching in several different languages. He frequently spoke to as many as 4,500 or 5,000 people. Three times he preached throughout the length and breadth of the United States. He continued his missionary and evangelistic tours until he was ninety years of age. All his expenses were covered in answer to his prayers of faith.

Having thus served God in his day and generation, his spirit was kissed away by the mouth of Jehovah, when all alone in his room, on the early morning of March 10, 1898. He was ninety-three.