The Life of Trust, George Müller [e ink epub reader .txt] 📗

than when after breakfast there were no means for dinner, and then the Lord provided the dinner for more than one hundred persons; or when, after dinner, there were no means for the tea, and yet the Lord provided the tea; and all this without one single human being having been informed about our need. This moreover I add, that although we who have been eyewitnesses of these gracious interpositions of our Father, have not been so benefited by them as we might and ought to have been, yet we have in some measure derived blessings from them. One thing is certain, that we are not tired of doing the Lord’s work in this way.

4. It has been more than once observed, that such a way of living must lead the mind continually to think whence food, clothes, etc., are to come, and so unfit for spiritual exercises. Now, in the first place, I answer that our minds are very little tried about the necessaries of life, just because the care respecting them is laid upon our Father, who, because we are his children, not only allows us to do so, but will have us to do so. Secondly, it must be remembered, that, even if our minds were much tried about the supplies for the children, and the means for the other work, yet, because we look to the Lord alone for these things, we should only be brought, by our sense of need, into the presence of our Father for the supply of it; and that is a blessing, and no injury to the soul. Thirdly, our souls realize that for the glory of God, and for the benefit of the church at large it is that we have these trials of faith, and that leads again to God, to ask him for fresh supplies of grace, to be enabled to be faithful in this service.

5. My heart’s desire and prayer to God is, that all believers who read this may by these many answers to prayer be encouraged to pray, particularly as it regards the conversion of their friends and relations, their own state of heart, the state of the church at large, and the success of the preaching of the gospel. Do not think, dear reader, that these things are peculiar to us, and cannot be enjoyed by all the saints. Although every child of God is not called by the Lord to establish schools and orphan houses, and to trust in the Lord for means for them; yet there is nothing on the part of the Lord to hinder, why you may not know, by experience, far more abundantly than we do now, his willingness to answer the prayers of his children. Do but prove the faithfulness of God. Do but carry your every want to him. Only maintain an upright heart. But if you live in sin; if you wilfully and habitually do things respecting which you know that they are contrary to the will of God, then you cannot expect to be heard by him. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me; but verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.” Psalm lxvi. 18, 19.

6. As it regards the children of God, who by the labor of their hands, or in any business or profession, earn their bread, particularly the poorer classes of them, I give my affectionate yet solemn advice to carry into practice the principles on which this Institution is conducted as it regards not going into debt. Are you in debt? then make confession of sin respecting it. Sincerely confess to the Lord that you have sinned against Rom. xiii. 8. And if you are resolved no more to contract debt, whatever may be the result, and you are waiting on the Lord and truly trust in him, your present debts will soon be paid. Are you out of debt? then, whatever your future want may be, be resolved, in the strength of Jesus, rather to suffer the greatest privation, whilst waiting upon God for help, than to use unscriptural means, such as borrowing, taking goods on credit, etc., to deliver yourselves. This way needs but to be tried, in order that its excellency may be enjoyed.

There are a few points more which may be of interest to the believing reader, which I shall now add.

1. There have been, during this year, six day schools for poor children entirely supported by the funds of our Institution, all of which have been established by us.

The number of all the children that have had schooling in the day schools through the medium of the Institution, since its formation, amounts to 2,216; the number of those at present in the six day schools is 303.

These day schools have defrayed, by the payments of the children, about the sixth part of their own expenses.

2. There is one Sunday school entirely supported by the funds of the Institution.

3. There has been, since the formation of the Institution, one adult school connected with it, in which, on the Lord’s day afternoons, since that time, about 150 adults have been instructed.

4. The number of Bibles and Testaments which have been circulated through the medium of our Institution, during the last year, amounts to 452 copies.

There have been circulated since March 5, 1834, 6,044 copies of the Scriptures.

5. There have been laid out, during the last year, of the funds of the Institution, £120, 10s. 2d. for missionary purposes.

6. There are at present ninety-one orphans in the three houses. The total number of the orphans who have been under our care from April 11, 1836, to December 9, 1840, amounts to 129.

Without any one having been asked for anything by us, the sum of £3,937, 1s. 1d. has been given to us for the Orphan Houses, as the result of prayer to God, since the commencement of the work.

THE BLESSING OF THE LORD UPON THE WORK IN REFERENCE
TO THE SOULS OF THE CHILDREN.

1. During the last fourteen months there have been meetings purposely for children, at which the Scriptures have been expounded to them. At these meetings an almost universal attention is manifested by them, which I thankfully ascribe to the Lord, and upon which I look as a forerunner of greater blessing.

2. During the last year three of the Sunday-school children have been received into fellowship.

3. At the end of last year there had been eight orphans received into communion; during the present year fourteen have been received; in all, twenty-two.

It was stated in the last year’s Report that we were looking for fruit upon our labors as it regards the conversion of the children, as the Lord had given to us a measure of earnestness in praying for them. The Lord has dealt with us according to our expectations. But I expect far more than what we have seen. While the chief object of our work has been and is still the manifestation of the heart of God towards his children, and the reality of power with God in prayer, yet, as we hoped, and as it has been our prayer, the Lord gives to us also the joy of seeing one child after another brought to stand openly on the Lord’s side. As far as my experience goes, it appears to me that believers generally have expected far too little of present fruit upon their labors among children. There has been a hoping that the Lord some day or other would own the instruction which they give to children, and would answer at some time or other, though after many years only, the prayers which they offer up on their behalf. Now, while such passages as Proverbs xxii. 6, Ecclesiastes xi. 1, Galatians vi. 9, 1 Cor. xv. 58, give unto us assurance not merely respecting everything which we do for the Lord, in general, but also respecting bringing up children in the fear of the Lord, in particular, that our labor is not in vain in the Lord; yet we have to guard against abusing such passages, by thinking it a matter of little moment whether we see present fruit or not; but, on the contrary, we should give the Lord no rest till we see present fruit, and therefore in persevering yet submissive prayer we should make known our requests unto God. I add, as an encouragement to believers who labor among children, that during the last two years seventeen other young persons or children, from the age of eleven and a half to seventeen, have been received into fellowship among us, and that I am looking out now for many more to be converted, and that not merely of the orphans, but of the Sunday and day school children. As in so many respects we live in remarkable times, so in this respect also, that the Lord is working greatly among the children in many places.

The total of the expenses connected with the objects of the Institution, exclusive of the Orphan Houses, from November 19, 1839, to November 19, 1840, is £622, 2s. 6½d. The balance in hand on Nov. 19, 1840, was £13, 2s. 9¾d.

The total of the expenses connected with the three Orphan Houses, from December 9, 1839, to December 9, 1840, is £900, 11s. 2½d. The balance in hand on December 9, 1840, was £15, 1s. 6¼d.

REVIEW OF THE YEAR 1840.

1. As to the church. There are 525 at present in communion; 114 have been added during the past year, of whom 47 have been brought to the knowledge of the Lord among us.

2. As to the supply of my temporal necessities. The Lord has been pleased to send me, by the freewill offerings of the saints, £242, 8s. 11½.[17]