George Müller (1805-1898) was an English preacher and renowned advocate of the power of prayer. Müller was born in Germany but later became a naturalized British subject. Educated in Germany, he went to London in 1828 to seek a commission from a missionary organization. In 1830, however, he gave up the idea of missionary work and became the minister of a small congregation in Devonshire. He believed that the temporal, as well as the spiritual needs of life, could be supplied entirely by prayer, and on this principle, he refused to take a fixed salary. After two years here, Müller moved to Bristol where he spent the rest of his life. He devoted himself particularly to the care of orphan children. He began by taking a few into his care, but soon their number increased to over 2,000. He built five large houses at Ashley Down, near Bristol. The money required for building and maintaining the orphanage was voluntarily contributed. When he was over seventy he and his wife started on a preaching mission that lasted nearly 17 years and included Europe, America, India, Australia, and China. Together they traveled over two hundred thousand miles and preached to more than three million people. When Müller died his possessions were valued at less than a thousand pounds although he had handled millions during his lifetime – all secured solely through faith and prayer. His triumphant life, recounted in his widely circulated book The Narration of Some of the Lord’s Dealings with George Müller, was a testimony to the power of prayer and inspired many Christians to undertake great causes on faith alone.
