Skip to main content

Faith Begets Faith, by Pastor Charlie Handren

By Anonymous


Faith Begets Faith
By Pastor Charlie

George Müller is well known for his great faith, but have you ever wondered how he came to possess it? Of course, the primary answer is that he prayed according to the Word of God and watched the Lord keep his promises again and again. But a secondary answer is that he observed the faith and generosity of others and emulated what he saw in them.
Early in his ministry, Müller was in need of some money, and thus wrote to a wealthy woman to ask for a loan. When her reply did not arrive by the time he expected, he went into a bit of a tailspin and even began to doubt the Lord and wonder if he should ever have become a Christian. In his melancholy state, he went out to a local establishment and spent money he didn’t have on things he didn’t need, after which he felt all the worse. But the Lord was gracious to him, showed him his sin, and helped him to turn his face up again.
At 2:00 p.m. that day, he received a parcel containing the exact amount he had requested. The Lord was working for Müller even while Müller was doubting the Lord! At first, he didn’t see a letter in the parcel, but after a quick search he found one and discovered that his benefactor was not the wealthy woman but an unknown donor who was giving rather than lending him the money.
The letter reads in part:
I send you the enclosed small sum, for which you may thank, not the unknown giver, but the Lord, who turns the hearts like rivers of water. Hold fast the faith which God has given you by His Holy Spirit; it is the most precious treasure in this life, and it contains in itself true happiness. Only seek by watching and prayer more and more to be delivered from all vanity and self-complacency, by which even the true believer may be ensnared when he least expects it. Let it be your chief aim to be more and more humble, faithful, and quiet. May we not belong to those who say and write continually, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but who have him not deeply in their hearts. Christianity consist not in words but in power. There must be life in us.” (Autobiography of George Müller, Westminster Literature, 18)
The letter was signed “An Adoring Worshiper of the Savior, Jesus Christ,” and it inspired in Müller a heart “full of joy, shame, and gratitude. Truly it was the goodness of God that brought my heart into this state, and not the money” (18). Müller then prayed and thanked the Lord for about half an hour, forever etching this experience into his mind.
George Müller was a man of great faith, but he learned it from others. Let us now learn from him and put all our faith in the God who supplies all our needs!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Worship Songs, October 15, 2017

By
We post these worship songs leading up to the worship service so that parents may listen to them in the house or in the car within the days leading up to the worship service. Our hope is that children will hear the songs prior to and it will prepare them to participate in worship on Sunday mornings. My Redeemers Love Hope Has Come I Will Glory In My Redeemer Blessed Be Your Name Here In Your Presence Your Glory Be Still My Soul (In You I Rest) -- Sermon Text: John 11:1-16 That the next generation will set their hope in God and not forget the works of God (Psalm 78:7).
Post a Comment
Read more

Deacons - How They Serve and Strengthen the Church (Part 1)

By
  One of the next important priorities for GCF is to establish deacons in the life of the church. On March 14, 2021 we were able to establish an elder team. Currently, we have a team of four elders overseeing the congregation of GCF.  However, there is more work to be done. I have come to see that establishing an elder team was the bare minimum that needed to happen for GCF to survive. I believe GCF now needs to turn our attention to raising up a team of qualified and willing deacons to serve the congregation so that it will not only survive but thrive.   I would like to begin a series of blogs on deacons to help us understand who they are and what they do in the life of the church.  In this blog let me provide three reasons why I think deacons should be near our top priority.  Number 1: It is Biblical. Paul instructs Timothy to install elders who will help him pastor the church. For whatever reason, it seems the churches in our circles treat the installmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Secret of all Failure is our Failure in Secret Prayer

By
“We may be assured of this—the secret of all failure is our failure in secret prayer” (12). So writes the anonymous author of the classic little book on prayer entitled, The Kneeling Christian (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids: 1971). He means that the reason we so often fall into sin or live in discouragement or fail to bear fruit is because we do not cling to God in Christ above all things. We do not diligently seek him or lean on him or plead with him or draw on his strength. We give ourselves to busyness over communion with God and in this way we seek to accomplish in our flesh what can only be accomplished in the power of the Spirit.  Giving first place to what our dear author calls “secret prayer” is indeed a key to the Spirit-filled life but let’s be clear: prayer is not magic, rather, it’s a relationship. It’s not as if we simply have to file requests with God, being careful to use just the right words so that we can get him to respond as we wish. God is not a vendi...
Post a Comment
Read more