Day 13 : A Contemplative Activist | George Müller

"It is not enough to begin to pray, nor to pray aright; nor is it enough to continue for a time to pray; but we must pray patiently, believing, continue in prayer until we obtain an answer."
– George Müller

What is a contemplative activist?

As Christ-followers, mirroring His incarnational work in the world, we have been given a rich legacy in the lives of the saints and other heroes of the faith, those men and women who modeled for us the lives of contemplative activism. When answers are few and far between, we look to them who have drawn near to the poor in their distress, giving us an example to follow.

We define “contemplative activists” as those walking the Jesus rhythm. Jesus went up the mountain to be with His Father and pray and then returned to his life of service, engagement, and action, walking in the places of the world that needed mending. As Anglicans loving “the least of these,” we believe that our lives of prayer form the source of our work among the vulnerable. In turn, our closeness to suffering shapes our prayer lives and understanding of Christ as the Ultimate Healer and Savior.

Illustration from Crown of Life Press

George Müller was born in Prussia (Germany) in 1805 to a tax collector and his wife. As a child and a young man, George lived rebelliously, overindulging in alcohol, gambling, and law-breaking.

After being imprisoned for trying to swindle a wealthy landlord, his father sent him to a cathedral school to become a Lutheran clergyman—more for the sake of a comfortable living than any religious zeal. In school, however, George continued to “live secretly in much sin,” as he puts it, pendulum-swinging from bursts of hollow repentance, then back to his old habits.

When George was 20, he visited a Bible study that his friend had been attending. The warmth of the Christ-followers he met that night made an impression on him. Of that night, he said, “I have not the least doubt that on that evening He began a work of grace in me…That evening was the turning point in my life.”

A few weeks later, he decided to become a missionary. When George told his father, however, he was furious that his son wasn’t pursuing a stable career in the church and refused to pay for the necessary schooling.

Thus began George’s rich prayer life. Soon after getting on his knees to pray for means to attend a missionary training institution, a professor offered him a German language tutoring job. Upon completing his training, George moved to Bristol, England, where he married Mary Groves and served as the pastor of a small congregation. He refused the salary offered by the church, and instead trusted on the power of prayer to supply his daily needs.

During his time in Bristol, he noticed the numerous unfed and unhoused children living in the streets or poorly-run state houses and opened an orphanage. His leadership of the orphanage is marked by his complete trust and faith in the Lord's provision.

One anecdote describes a morning when 300 children were waiting for breakfast before going to school. George went to a quiet room and prayed. A moment later, a baker knocked on the door and told the housekeeper that he couldn’t sleep. He felt he needed to make bread for the orphanage and provided three batches of bread. The next moment, a milkman knocked on the door, explaining that his cart had broken down and didn’t want milk to spoil.

By Müller’s faith and the Lord’s grace, those 300 children were sent to school with full stomachs.

George Müller died at the age of 93, after an unexpected, but providential life of service and prayer.