The Unmitigated Power of Prayer

The Unmitigated Power of Prayer

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,” – James 5:16

Most believers have heard of George Muller, who lived in Bristol, England, during the 1800s. He was a Christian Evangelist who was the director of the Ashley Down Orphanage. By the end of his life, he had raised over seven million dollars through prayer alone for the orphanage. Muller always opened his Bible before he prayed and searched the Scriptures for a promise, and once he found the promise, he laid his hand on it and prayed. It is said that Muller would search the Scripture for days sometimes before he prayed.

Prayer is powerful as the Bible says in the quote above: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,” James 5:16. George Muller was a righteous man of fervent prayer, as we shall see going forward. He and his wife commenced their work with orphans in Bristol, England, in 1836, using their own rented home to house 30 girls. Not long after, they built three more houses for boys and younger children, bringing the total number of children being cared for to 130. George continued his work with the orphanage after his wife died until his death on March 10, 1898, at age 92.

Amazingly, Muller never requested any help financially or otherwise, except in prayer to God. Neither did Muller borrow money to provide the housing needed for the orphanage even though the cost was over 100,000 pounds.

One of the well-documented stories of Muller’s faith happened at breakfast with the children seated around the table; a prayer of thanks was given to God even though the bowls and plates were empty and the cupboards bare. After the prayer, there was a knock at the back door; it was the baker who had brought enough freshly baked bread to feed all of them. It just happened that the milkman’s delivery cart also broke down right in front of the orphanage, so he brought fresh milk for everyone.^[ii]

George Muller was also an itinerant preacher. He spoke English, German, and French, and his sermons were translated into many other languages. He traveled over 200,000 miles to preach the gospel of Christ before there were automobiles or airplanes, which was nothing short of amazing.^[iii]

Muller believed in prayer and expected God to answer his prayers. Nothing was too large or small to take to God. On one occasion, the orphan’s house boiler broke down. To fix the boiler would take more time than was available before frigid weather moved in. The problem was that the boiler was bricked up and hard to access. Muller prayed that the workers he hired would be willing to work through the night and the weather would hold off while the workers finished the needed repair. On Tuesday, before the work began, a frigid cold front moved in out of the north, but before the men arrived to commence work, the wind direction changed and began to blow from the south and excluded the need for additional heat. The supervisor came by and told the men to report the first thing in the morning to resume work. The lead worker said that they would prefer to work throughout the night and finish the job. A total of 30 hours was required for the job to be completed, just in time before the freezing weather moved back in.

Another example of Muller’s answered prayer occurred in 1862. One of the drains became blocked, and water began to back up into the orphan’s house. Workers tried time after time to locate the blockage without success. Muller prayed earnestly about the matter, and, and no sooner than had he finished praying, workers discovered the blockage.^[iv] [v]

On Saturday, January 14, 1865, strong gales moved in and damaged the orphanage. The damage to the roofs produced twenty holes and broke about the same number of windows. Slaters and glaziers, who usually did the orphanage repair, were already committed to working elsewhere, so it would be Monday before they could repair the buildings. If the wind and rain continued, the damage would be much worse. Muller and the staff continued to pray, and God answered, and the wind and the rain stopped until Wednesday. By that time, the workers finished all needed repairs.^[vi]

Another example of Muller’s powerful prayer happened in August 1877 when the ship Muller was taking across the Atlantic ran into dense fog. Muller had an essential engagement in Quebec on the following afternoon. He explained to Captain Joseph E. Dutton the urgency of his meeting. The captain informed Muller that the ship had slowed down for safety and that Muller’s appointment would need canceling. Muller asked the captain if he may use the chat room to pray for the fog to lift. The captain said it was OK. As he followed Muller, he commented that it was a waste of time. After Muller prayed, the captain also began to pray. Muller stopped him, knowing that the captain didn’t believe, and told him there was no need to pray because God answered the prayer, and the fog had already dissipated. As the two men entered the bridge, they found that the fog had lifted, and the ship resumed speed. Shortly after, the captain became a Christian and from that point forward was referred to as “Holy Joe.” Today that moniker is still used to ridicule staunch believers in Christ. ^[vii]

Someone once asked Muller how much time he spent in prayer. His reply was, “Hours every day. But I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk and when I lie down and when arise. And the answers are always coming.”^[viii] 

George Muller spent hours a day in prayer. That is a fantastic amount of time. Most of us could nowhere near match that in our busy world today. You and I are not George Muller. We don’t have over a hundred orphans depending on us for their next meal. We are not responsible for maintaining housing for them, ensuring that they are safe, clothed, and being educated and taught the truth of God’s word. We don’t travel 200,000 miles to preach the gospel in three different languages. We don’t have anywhere near that kind of responsibility. Therefore, it doesn’t take hours a day to tell the Lord about everything going on in our lives. My concern need not be how long my prayers are anyway; I need to be concerned about how strong my faith is when I pray. Being in an attitude of prayer as we daily go through life is something each of us can do. That is what the Bible means in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice evermore. 17Pray without ceasing. 18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” That is what the Bible means in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice evermore. 17Pray without ceasing. 18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Muller’s already strong faith in God continued to strengthen until the end of his life. Each day he spent hours in prayer and Bible study. In the later years of his life, he read the entire Bible four times each year. [ix]

I shared this story with you because it is a perfect example of the power of prayer and the value of having a solid foundation of prayer. It gives the power to weather all the storms of life and reveals God’s plan and purpose for our lives.

Foot notes

] R. A. Torrey on George Müller; “The Power of Prayer,” 1924

[5] Jump up ^ Harding                                                                                                         

[6] Jump up ^ Müller (2003)

[7] Jump up ^ Our Own Correspondent (22 December 1868). “George Muller; The New  Orphan Houses of Bristol”. The New York Times (New York: New York Times Archive). Retrieved 27 June 2010

[8][9] Jump up ^ Müller (2003), p. 10 Jump up ^ Müller (2003)

[10] Jump up ^ Ellis, James J (unknown but after 1912). George Muller – The Man who Trusted God. Pickering &Inglis, 14 Paternoster Row, London EC4.

[11] Jump up ^ Steer

[12] Jump up ^ Annual Report, 1865