George Mueller: Temptedto Disbelieve

On March 7, I was again tempted to disbelieve the faithfulness of the Lord, and though I was not miserable, still, I was not so fully resting upon the Lord that I could triumph with joy. It was but one hour after, when the Lord gave me another proof of his faithful love. A Christian lady brought five sovereigns for us, with these words written in the paper: "I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink,"

April 16. This morning I found that our money was reduced to three shillings; and I said to myself, I must now go and ask the Lord earnestly for fresh supplies. But before I had prayed, there was sent from Exeter, two pounds, as a proof that the Lord hears before we call.”

George Mueller (1805-1898) in The Life of Trust (New York: Sheldon and Company, 1878) 86-87.

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If you want to grow in generosity you must learn the life of trust.

Mueller teaches us that sometimes we share with others and other times we will rely on God to supply for us through others.

And His provision rarely comes as we would expect.

Sometimes God supplies the instant we ask. Other times He supplies before we ask. Other times he supplies after we ask.

What’s the lesson as we learn from Mueller about the life of trust?

God wants us to trust in His faithfulness. This is not always easy. In dark times, even people with great faith like Mueller can be tempted to disbelieve the faithfulness of the Lord.

I think the best lesson today is to record instances of His provision in a journal.

When we write these down like Mueller, it helps us remember the faithfulness of God. This helps us maintain our faith in times of waiting on the Lord to supply.