YOU CAN TRUST GOD WITH BOTH HANDS

Introduction:

give out dollar coins
speak about something i have not often spoke to you about; money

I. THE MAN GOD USED WAS NOT WHO YOU WOULD EXPECT

(George Müller — Bristol, England — 1805–1898)

Born in Prussia, 1805 By his own admission: a liar, thief, drunkard, and womanizer his mother died while he was drunk in the streets Stole from his father — landed in prison at age 20

The turning point: At 20, attended a Bible study and was converted

He was moved simply by watching other people kneel to pray Settled in Bristol, England — and found the streets filled with orphaned children

Thousands of children orphaned by cholera. Those children either starved or were forced into workhouses — essentially slave labor. Müller felt the call of God to do something

Principle: God does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called.

II. THE MISSION HE BUILT ON NOTHING BUT PRAYER

He had roughly two shillings — about fifty cents — when he started He made three commitments that sounded impossible:

He would never ask another human being for money.
He would never take out a loan or go into debt
He would tell no one about his needs — except God

The results over his lifetime:

Cared for 10,024 orphans
Never asked for a single cent directly
Never took a salary for the last 68 years of his ministry
Never took a loan — never went into debt
Neither he nor the orphans were ever hungry

III. THE GOD WHO SHOWED UP EVERY TIME

(Müller's faith was not theoretical — it was proven at the table)

The morning the pantry was empty:

300 children — no food in the house Müller sat the children at the table anyway and prayed out loud, thanking God for what He was about to send

A baker arrived: he could not sleep the night before — felt impressed by God to bake bread for the orphanage

Minutes later: a milkman — his cart had broken down directly in front of the orphanage He unloaded all his milk just to lighten the cart The children ate that morning They always did

Principle: Müller's faith was not the absence of need. It was the presence of God in the middle of need.

IV. THE MOMENT AT THE DOOR

(The scene that defines his entire ministry)

Every child who grew up at Ashley Down eventually came of age. When that day arrived, Müller did not simply send them out. He prayed with each child individually — one by one He placed a Bible in their right hand He placed a coin in their left hand

Each child also received:

A complete new outfit
A tin trunk
Two full changes of clothing
An umbrella
A copy of Müller's published Narratives of God's faithfulness
Their accumulated savings
A train ticket
A job already arranged before they walked out the door
A dollar
A Bible

Then he said:

"Hold onto what is in your right hand — and God will always make sure there is something in your left."

He did this more than ten thousand times

The same man who arrived with nothing
The same man who never asked for a cent
The same man who sat children at empty tables and prayed
Was now placing ten thousand children into the world with the same conviction he had built his life on

V. THE WORD BEHIND THE MOMENT

Müller never had to quote Matthew 6:33 “33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

This was not a verse Müller had just memorized

It was a verse Müller had proven He read his Bible end to end nearly 200 times He preached at least 10,000 sermons At age 70 he began seventeen years of missionary travel — preaching until age 87 He died in 1898 — a poor man with few possessions At his funeral: over 100 carriages in procession — thousands lined the streets

Principle: The man who held the Bible in both hands his whole life died with nothing — and left everything.

CLOSING CHARGE

You can trust God with both hands.

The man who proved it is buried in Bristol. The God who proved it through him is still on the throne.