Confession

What do George Mueller, depravity, worship, and happiness all have to do with my last post?

A confession.

My last post was about prayer. Most people would say that George Mueller was all about prayer. Well he was. But he was so much more. He said that the chief objective of his life was not the orphans and not prayer. Indeed, it was the glory of God at all costs, every day.

If anyone could have given up, blamed it all on someone else, or succumbed to circumstances, it was George Mueller. He cared for perhaps two-thousand orphans every day for decades. He knew not where the next meal would come from, the next bedsheet, the next set of clothing. Every single bit was faithfully committed to God in prayer. God was delighted to answer every single bit with provision.

Now we might consider this remarkable. We would say that George Mueller had an exceptional gift. But he said of himself that he was a mere man, that anyone could believe God and pray as he could. Yet two-hundred years plus after his birth, who else can be listed in the same ranks as Mueller? It seems precious few. Why?

We all say to ourselves, "I want to be like that." We pray to God to be like that. Deep down we know it's true that we could and yet the reality escapes us. Or perhaps, like me, you have tasted on brief occasion that goodness of God and wonder how to keep it up.

But like me, depravity, circumstances, and blame settle the affections elsewhere. All too often I put my trust in man resulting in utter disappointment. Thus begins a viscious and bitter circle. I try to convince myself of godly motives for thinking and feeling the way I do. Jesus did not put His trust in any man for He knows what is in man. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Yes we know all that but no change; no improvement; still angry.

Mueller's biographer went on to tell his "secret". He purposed in his heart every day at the beginning of the day to make himself happy in the Lord. No matter the circumstances, the letdowns from man, the personal feelings of the flesh (Oh poor me!), George Mueller determined that God was good and to ensure his prayers were heard and answered, he must first be right with God, then worship, then petition.

As I considered this, God let me know that it is the right course. He brought to mind another great man of God whose writings I have delved daily for nearly thirty years - Oswald Chambers. He writes that we are to worship God at times in extravagence. Like Mary who broke the alabaster box of precious ointment on the Lord's feet, then wiped it with her hair, so are we to demonstrate our love for the Lord Jesus at times. We are to worship Him in the moment and do the thing that required no forethought, no great gathering, just a spontaneous outpouring of love, worship, and blessedness to Him.

God salvation brings us to this very thing, that we can worship Him in the beauty of holiness. God says in Ephesians 1:3 that He will bless us with heavenly blessings when we do this. That word "bless" means "happy".

That's what Mueller was after. He knew the depravity of mankind and his own heart. He set aside that easily besetting murk and instead made himself happy in the Lord. Sometimes this took more than a half hour as he poured out confession of sin to God and then trusted in His mercy through the blood of Jesus. Only then did he know by the blessing poured upon him from the throne that he was in the presence of God Who was then ready to pour out from His storehouse of abundance.

So now you know some of why you haven't heard from me in a month. But no more. Pray for me and yourselves as Mueller learned to. Dare not to start a day without being happy in the Lord for He is good.