Finding God's Will (short version) - George Muller

George Muller (1805-1898) was a man of prayer and a man of faith. He believed that His God would supply all his needs even without telling any man what his needs were. He started his first orphanage with no money of his own but with child-like faith in a great God. By the end of his life more than ten thousand orphans had been cared for in the orphanage homes which were built by faith. 

To understand what God’s Word meant to this man see George Muller and the Scriptures. For one of the best biographies of this man of God, see George Muller of Bristol by A.T.Pierson. 

Müller’s mission was for the glory of God:

“The orphan houses exist to display that God can be trusted and to encourage believers to take him at his word.”

“The first and primary object of the Institute was…that God might be magnified by the fact that the orphans under my care were, and are, provided with all they need only by prayer and faith, without anyone being asked by me or my fellow-labourers, whereby it might be seen that God is faithful still and hears prayer still.”

The following is from Muller’s pen on the subject of knowing God’s will:

1. Remove your own self will first

“I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people generally is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever that may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.”

2. Avoid feelings 

“Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impression. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.”

3. Seek the will of the Spirit in connection with the Word

“I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.”

4. Consider providential circumstances 

“Next, I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit.”

5. See the throne before you seek man

“I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.”

6. Make a deliberate judgement, and then test it several times

“Thus, through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgement according to the best of my ability and knowledge; and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in transactions involving the most important issues, I have found this method always effective.”