George Müller and the School of Grace

In 1825, a young German theology student named George Müller spent his evenings gambling, drinking, and stealing from friends. He once forged his father's signature to cover debts. By every measure, Müller was a man ruled by worldly passions, studying for ministry only because it promised a comfortable salary.

Then, at a quiet prayer meeting in a home in Halle, Müller encountered something he had never truly known — the grace of God. Not grace as a theological concept he could recite for exams, but grace as a living teacher that began reshaping him from the inside out.

The transformation was not instantaneous, but it was unmistakable. Over the following years, Müller learned to say no to the dishonesty and self-indulgence that had defined him. He returned stolen money. He gave up his salary, choosing to live entirely by faith. In Bristol, England, he eventually cared for over ten thousand orphans without ever asking a single person for a donation — only prayer.

What changed Müller was not willpower or moral resolve. It was grace operating as a patient instructor, training him day by day in self-control, uprightness, and godliness. Paul tells Titus that the grace of God does exactly this — it appears not merely to pardon us but to teach us how to live in this present age. Grace saved George Müller, and then grace schooled him in an entirely new way of life.