George Mueller: Delighted in God

I chose to add George Mueller: Delighted in God to my 2010 Reading List because Isaac (and every other first year seminarian, it seems) read it in one of his required courses his first semester.  Isaac mentioned several times that he thought it was an excellent biography and very inspiring, especially in the area of prayer.  In case you've never been to a church where the pastor quotes George Mueller on a regular basis (yes, I'm talking about the one and only Pastor Burt), you should definitely get to know this man's story.  Mueller was born in Prussia, but eventually made his way to England where he is credited with caring for over 10,000 orphans in his lifetime.  If that number itself doesn't speak sheer volumes as to the kind of man Mueller was, I'm not sure what else could!

This particular biography was a great read; it's not too long, but it packs a powerful punch- not just of biographical information, but also a good deal of conviction.  Steer focuses on Mueller's decision to refrain from asking anyone to fund either his salary at the church or any needs at the orphanages.  Rather, he determines he will pray, and pray fervently, that the Lord would provide.  And what is so amazing is what happened.  People- both friends and strangers alike- would send Mueller money without his requesting any funds or assistance from them.  Their letters always conveyed that they were simply led to give, and so they did.  This conviction to pray and wait for provision was not simply some experiment Mueller conducted for a specified period of time.  No, he did this for years; in fact, he never stopped doing it.  The George Mueller Foundation does not fund raise in any way, and they do not declare their financial needs to anyone except God in prayer.  It seemed that so many times, Mueller would literally be on his knees asking how he was going to feed all of the orphans that day when someone would bring him either money or break or milk or just what was needed.  Talk about the Lord providing!

This book is an excellent read; it's well-written and is incredibly convicting.  It's also incredibly encouraging as well.  As I sit here on my comfy couch in my comfortable cool apartment (I am praising God every day for central air conditioning right now because of this merciless heat), I admit that it's hard for me to be content with what the Lord has blessed me.  It seems we're always wanting more, even though we already have bounds and bounds beyond what we really and truly need.  And even though I have more material possessions that the vast majority of the world, I still worry about the Lord's provision.  Reading this book helped put things into perspective for me (again) and gave me a good dose of much-needed conviction; I highly recommend it (the conviction and the book, that is).