Sunday 15 January 2017

Expectant prayer

George Muller expected answers to his prayers in God's timing.

Sometimes, God's answers came just when food and funds were running out for his orphanage in England in the mid-1800s.

On March 9, 1842, there was no money left in the orphanage to pay for food for the many orphans under his care.  He had never asked for money, depending entirely on praying for donations.

"Muller's response was to do what he knew best," writes Bryan Chapell in his book Praying Backwards.  "He gathered friends early in the morning and prayed again.  The daily mail provided no relief.

"Then, just as all hope seemed lost, a special delivery letter arrived.  It was a letter that had initially been delivered to the wrong address.  The letter contained a sizeable gift mailed from another city."

This was typical in Muller's life.  He and his associates "grew to expect the Lord's work" in their lives.

Muller kept a daily journal listing his prayers and the answers he received - sometimes years later.  Over his lifetime, Muller recorded 50,000 answers to specific prayers.

His biographer, A.T. Pierson, said that "having asked in conformity with the word and the will of God, and in the name of Jesus, he (Muller) has confidence in Him, that he heareth and that he has the petitions thus asked of Him".

By asking in Jesus' name, says Chapell, Muller was not only asking Christ to intercede for him, "but also to indicate willingness to submit to God's will".  Muller expected God to answer as heaven knew was best.

"Muller used Jesus' name with the expectation that God would answer in the way that most glorified the Saviour."

This did not mean that Muller had an easy life and that all his prayers were answered in the way he wished.  "Through the course of his life, Muller buried two stillborn children, a one-year-old son, an adult daughter, and two wives," writes Chapell.

He says we will not know until we are in heaven why God would give so many miraculous answers to Muller's prayers, but not save these people who were so close to him.  Ultimately,  he says we must trust God to "listen to us and to do the best for our eternity and his glory".

Of course, this means we must pray for God's revelation of his will, much as Muller did.

When Muller faced a problem, he sought God's direction as he read and meditated on scripture and he asked for the Holy Spirit to speak to him.  And he considered advice from others, counting on the Spirit to guide him to the right path to take in prayer.  Then, he prayed with confidence, expecting to receive God's answer to his needs.

It's an approach that many great Christians have followed down through the ages.

It is a path that is open to us today.




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