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Men of Faith
George Muller: Man of Faith and Miracles
The remarkable and challenging story of a man who dared to believe that God both could and would supply all of his needs—whether personal or for the thousands of orphans in his care!Though confirmed in the church at the age of 14, George Muller was raised without a real concept of God. By the time he was 16, he was in jail as a vagabond and thief.In his early twenties he came in contact with a group of people who met regularly for prayer and Bible study. Through their witness he was brought to a turning point in his life and was born into the family of God. Daily Bible reading and prayer immediately became an important part of his Christian life and a cornerstone of his future orphanage ministry.The personal story of one of the greatest prayer-warriors of the past century.
160 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1972
23 people are currently reading
444 people want to read
About the author
Basil Miller
352 books12 followersBasil William Miller was born in Laconia, Indiana, February 26, 1897. He moved with his family to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) in 1905, and nine years later entered a small Christian college in Greenville, Texas, to earn A.B. and B.D. degrees.
After pastoring churches in Oklahoma, he was called to teach at Pasadena College in California. He married Esther Kirk and they had four children. He earned a master’s degree at the University of Southern California and five more graduate degrees—the M.A., S.T.M., Th.M., S.T.D., and Ph.D.—were earned while he was holding pastorates in San Diego, Pittsburgh, New York City, San Antonio, and Pasadena.
In 1939, Dr. Miller was involved in a serious car accident and suffered a severe concussion which kept him bedridden for a year and partially incapacitated for the next four. Then, in 1947, he suffered a heart attack. During his convalescence he began his writing career and, over a period of 35 years, produced 200 books and thousands of articles for Christian publications.
Two wartime biographies caused a publishing sensation. Martin Niemoeller: Hero of the Concentration Camp appeared in 1942 while the German pastor was still confined in Dachau. The other bookk was Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek. The Chinese leaders were at the height of their popularity and the book generated more prepublication orders than any previous Zondervan title. Some 950,000 Basil Miller books were in print by mid-1951. He had published 136 titles by 1955 and his final count probably tops 150.
Until his death on May 7, 1978, at the age of 81, he was “driven almost beyond endurance with the knowledge that there is so much to do, and so little that I can accomplish.”
After pastoring churches in Oklahoma, he was called to teach at Pasadena College in California. He married Esther Kirk and they had four children. He earned a master’s degree at the University of Southern California and five more graduate degrees—the M.A., S.T.M., Th.M., S.T.D., and Ph.D.—were earned while he was holding pastorates in San Diego, Pittsburgh, New York City, San Antonio, and Pasadena.
In 1939, Dr. Miller was involved in a serious car accident and suffered a severe concussion which kept him bedridden for a year and partially incapacitated for the next four. Then, in 1947, he suffered a heart attack. During his convalescence he began his writing career and, over a period of 35 years, produced 200 books and thousands of articles for Christian publications.
Two wartime biographies caused a publishing sensation. Martin Niemoeller: Hero of the Concentration Camp appeared in 1942 while the German pastor was still confined in Dachau. The other bookk was Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek. The Chinese leaders were at the height of their popularity and the book generated more prepublication orders than any previous Zondervan title. Some 950,000 Basil Miller books were in print by mid-1951. He had published 136 titles by 1955 and his final count probably tops 150.
Until his death on May 7, 1978, at the age of 81, he was “driven almost beyond endurance with the knowledge that there is so much to do, and so little that I can accomplish.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
June 13, 2019
The style of writing is dated, which is the only reason I gave it 4 stars. I have known of George Muller since I was a child, but I had no idea the scope of his ministry. Most of what I learned was focused on his faith and prayer life in regards to his orphanage. And while this was a huge ministry, he did so much more! I won't spoil the book, but it is a true challenge to any Christian to always be willing to follow God's will. He will always bless when we are doing what He desires from us.
April 5, 2019
I review this biography with ambivalence. To say it was NOT a blessing to me at times would be false. Yet, both the book itself and the highlights of Muller's life gave me pause.
First, I can't recommend the book as a biography. The text itself seemed to truncate some other, unabridged biography. Citations without attributions abound, starting with the first sentence. The writing seems to be a choppy mix of older and more modern writing styles. The text provides conversion units from British to American currencies early on inconsistently switches between the currencies (sometimes appearing in pounds and shillings, other times in dollars and cents). I found myself re-reading several portions of the text for understanding. There must be a better biography of Muller out there, abridged or otherwise.
If that were the only issue, though, I would give it a higher score.
Second, I can't recommend the book as a Christian book. As the subtitle of the book suggests, the text focuses solely on Muller's prayer-life and the results of those prayers. Even though, as a biography, the text speaks of the sinfulness of Muller's pre-conversion life, there is no explanation of what the gospel is; the book instead jumped to the fruit of his conversion, a desire to get back into church and learn about God. I can't recall the work of Christ on the cross or His resurrection mentioned (in passing) more than once or twice in the whole book, but that Muller "opened wide" his mouth so that God would fill it was mentioned several times. As a result, the book is (perhaps unintentionally) an apologetic for Word of Faith teaching, not gospel ministry.
Third, I can't recommend the Christian ministry represented in this book. Of course, I recommend a prayerful faith that the Lord will meet our needs. However, as I said, this book seems extol a name-it-and-claim-it approach to Christianity. Because Muller doesn't have a fixed income or savings but instead pray about it, he has more money than he would. Because his policy was to never tell anyone of a need, ministerial or personal, but instead pray about it, God richly provided.
I don't know if this is representative of Muller the man or this particular biography, but the Lord has not commanded Christians to live in such a manner.
None of this is to say I did not benefit from this book. In fact, I found portions of the book downright convicting over my own lack of prayerfulness and trust in the Lord. The fact is that Christians SHOULD ALWAYS trust in the Lord's provision, not in the strength of their own bank account or anyone else's. Such lessons are hard-learned but necessary for both Christian living and ministry to others. Yet, the Lord also commands wise stewardship and sound doctrine, so I recommend searching for another book on such subjects.
First, I can't recommend the book as a biography. The text itself seemed to truncate some other, unabridged biography. Citations without attributions abound, starting with the first sentence. The writing seems to be a choppy mix of older and more modern writing styles. The text provides conversion units from British to American currencies early on inconsistently switches between the currencies (sometimes appearing in pounds and shillings, other times in dollars and cents). I found myself re-reading several portions of the text for understanding. There must be a better biography of Muller out there, abridged or otherwise.
If that were the only issue, though, I would give it a higher score.
Second, I can't recommend the book as a Christian book. As the subtitle of the book suggests, the text focuses solely on Muller's prayer-life and the results of those prayers. Even though, as a biography, the text speaks of the sinfulness of Muller's pre-conversion life, there is no explanation of what the gospel is; the book instead jumped to the fruit of his conversion, a desire to get back into church and learn about God. I can't recall the work of Christ on the cross or His resurrection mentioned (in passing) more than once or twice in the whole book, but that Muller "opened wide" his mouth so that God would fill it was mentioned several times. As a result, the book is (perhaps unintentionally) an apologetic for Word of Faith teaching, not gospel ministry.
Third, I can't recommend the Christian ministry represented in this book. Of course, I recommend a prayerful faith that the Lord will meet our needs. However, as I said, this book seems extol a name-it-and-claim-it approach to Christianity. Because Muller doesn't have a fixed income or savings but instead pray about it, he has more money than he would. Because his policy was to never tell anyone of a need, ministerial or personal, but instead pray about it, God richly provided.
I don't know if this is representative of Muller the man or this particular biography, but the Lord has not commanded Christians to live in such a manner.
None of this is to say I did not benefit from this book. In fact, I found portions of the book downright convicting over my own lack of prayerfulness and trust in the Lord. The fact is that Christians SHOULD ALWAYS trust in the Lord's provision, not in the strength of their own bank account or anyone else's. Such lessons are hard-learned but necessary for both Christian living and ministry to others. Yet, the Lord also commands wise stewardship and sound doctrine, so I recommend searching for another book on such subjects.
August 27, 2017
I finally gave up and skimmed the last few chapters. Muller may have been an inspirational man, but the writing was so washed clean of any real feeling that it very quickly turned into an extremely long laundry list of all the amounts of money he received without asking (except in prayer). Any breath of struggle was quickly stopped by "oh but he never faltered and God provided..." I may be too 21st century in saying this but it wasn't relatable or genuine at all. Also. Sure he got and gave a ton of money and preached to big crowds... but I would've wanted to hear about the how he lived his life and loved people with his heart. Those kind of things got lost in the author's admiration for numbers and buildings.
August 21, 2025
The Lord will complete the good works. This book deepened my sense of our need for prayer and how attuned God is to the believer. George Mullers life was a testament to a God who wants his people to cry out to Him.
November 10, 2023
Loved this book about a man of pure faith. It proved to be a great reminder that “God is faithful still and hears prayers still.” Indeed, and in abundance.
Some quotes I enjoyed:
“He had renounced self, the world and its attachments, that he might give himself to secret prayer. Out of such endeavors flowed the stream of his power with God.”
“‘Real trust in God is above circumstances and appearances,’ he affirmed.”
Trust in God, and He will do far more abundantly than all that you ask or think!
Some quotes I enjoyed:
“He had renounced self, the world and its attachments, that he might give himself to secret prayer. Out of such endeavors flowed the stream of his power with God.”
“‘Real trust in God is above circumstances and appearances,’ he affirmed.”
Trust in God, and He will do far more abundantly than all that you ask or think!
July 8, 2008
This is an amazing story. I am so inspired by this man's life and faith. He made his life an experiment on the word of God that those who serve Him will be 'clothed as the lilies of the field.' Not only he was fed but also his family and the thousands of orphans he cared for in his life. His mission was to show others that 'the living God is living still' and has power to do great things for those who trust him. In every aspect of his life he operated on trust in God and the desire to give to others all that was given to his care. It made me reevaluate my faith and what I might do more to serve my fellowman if I trusted my temporal and spiritual needs would be cared for throughout, no matter what the outlook at the beginning. The lessons on prayer and finding the will of God and getting your own will out of the way were also priceless. I would like to read more about this great man who lived to please God only.
August 1, 2016
Amazing book about a man of faith. I was astonished by the way George Miller made every single request to God and God alone and all of his provisions were met every single time. God sent the answer before George was on his knees praying. He read the bible over 200 times cover to cover and 100 of those times were on his knees. Need to be inspired by faith?? Then this is a sure to read book!!
January 24, 2009
What an incredible example from George Muller. He demonstrates what it means to live with purpose and then being completely dependent upon God. It was highly inspirational and is a quick read!
June 20, 2012
I love this book, it was so interesting to read. I really enjoyed reading this book.
January 27, 2013
Especially liked the chapter on trials
March 20, 2014
Very encouraging and convicting.
April 11, 2014
What an incredible example....still processing this man's life of debt-free, sole-dependence upon God for needs, prayer-lead example
November 5, 2019
(DNF)
George Muller is certainly a great man of faith. His consistency in prayer is truly remarkable; something I found myself admiring quite a bit as I read through the book. To see a man whose life was so clearly led by God's hand is fantastic. Why then, the low score and Did Not Finish?
Well, it's because I was quite bored while reading the book. I'm not sure if it's the way in which it was written or the same-ness of the chapters but I just found myself fighting to focus while reading. While I found myself being challenged in my own faith during my time reading, I also found myself going, "Let me guess: Muller will encounter a trial, he will pray, and God will provide". Sure enough, this was the template for each chapter. I'm not looking for a bombastic presentation at all but it's all just written so straight-forward; direct. As another review said, it's so sterile.
Which, is fine, I suppose. I'll chalk it up to the book being not for me. But after 7 chapters, I think I've received the gist of the book and have decided it's time to move on.
George Muller is certainly a great man of faith. His consistency in prayer is truly remarkable; something I found myself admiring quite a bit as I read through the book. To see a man whose life was so clearly led by God's hand is fantastic. Why then, the low score and Did Not Finish?
Well, it's because I was quite bored while reading the book. I'm not sure if it's the way in which it was written or the same-ness of the chapters but I just found myself fighting to focus while reading. While I found myself being challenged in my own faith during my time reading, I also found myself going, "Let me guess: Muller will encounter a trial, he will pray, and God will provide". Sure enough, this was the template for each chapter. I'm not looking for a bombastic presentation at all but it's all just written so straight-forward; direct. As another review said, it's so sterile.
Which, is fine, I suppose. I'll chalk it up to the book being not for me. But after 7 chapters, I think I've received the gist of the book and have decided it's time to move on.
June 10, 2025
This book was the story of a man of faith! When I say man of faith, it’s a man of FAITH! What a beautiful rendition of telling the story of a man completely sold out to God. I found myself multiple times throughout the book saying “wow!” Or “that’s just so crazy” - to which is good to be in awe of what God can do, but at the same time it stirs up my faith knowing that this shouldn’t be a shocker to know that God works in big ways!! If you are devoted to prayer and believe in faith, then God can do some big things! The only critic I have is that the writing style is a little outdated, but this is a biography of a man living in the 1800s, what can you expect. Thank you Jesus for George Muller.
July 1, 2025
Although some goodness is found herein, and perhaps some excellent examples to follow, I could not abide the way the author told it. You don’t cajole God into giving you stuff. You just don’t. It’s God’s work, not Mr. Muller’s and that’s my contention. I recommend reading his own story or someone else’s version.
June 10, 2017
This man's life is a huge inspiration!! Read it!!
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January 25, 2020I read a 1941 published version called, George Muller, The Man of Faith by Basil Miller and published by Zondervan. I assume this is the same book.
October 12, 2020
I found this book very hard to follow at times.
November 1, 2020
Wow! So inspiring!
June 16, 2025
It was good but hard to read
April 19, 2022
Reshaped my thoughts about prayer and trust in God's provision. Truly inspiring.
August 19, 2013
When I started reading this book, I didn't know much of Mr. Muller other than he was famous for working with orphans and for never asking for donations. There really is so much more about the man and his life than those two things.
His was a life that was radically transformed by God. He went from a scoundrel to a man who was deeply spiritual. He grew into a man who was deeply committed to Bible reading, prayer, faith, action, and giving. He determined to not speak about things until he had read the scriptures concerning that subject, and he had an intense prayer life where certain requests spanned decades until God finally answered them. He prayed for the conversion of five specific people, and it was after 35 years and Mr. Muller's death before the final two were converted. He said he regularly read the Bible through four times per year, and it's estimated that he had read through 200 times before his death. I think that is an often overlooked aspect of his life of faith.
I gained so much encouragement from reading how God worked in his life, but I was disappointed in a few aspects of the book. Although we know there was a point when Mr. Muller became a Christian, there isn't a clear testimony provided in the book. Also, the testing of his faith didn't come because God needed to know how Mr. Muller would respond; I firmly believe God already knew how he would respond. Mr. Muller needed to know how he would respond so that his faith would be strengthened and he could move on to the next level.
Even with the limited number of drawbacks, I was encouraged and uplifted by his life lived out in faith. I'll close with a short quote: "The primary object of the work is, he observed, to show before the whole world...that even in these last evil days the living God is ready to prove Himself as the living God, by being ever willing to help...and answer the prayers of those who trust in Him."
His was a life that was radically transformed by God. He went from a scoundrel to a man who was deeply spiritual. He grew into a man who was deeply committed to Bible reading, prayer, faith, action, and giving. He determined to not speak about things until he had read the scriptures concerning that subject, and he had an intense prayer life where certain requests spanned decades until God finally answered them. He prayed for the conversion of five specific people, and it was after 35 years and Mr. Muller's death before the final two were converted. He said he regularly read the Bible through four times per year, and it's estimated that he had read through 200 times before his death. I think that is an often overlooked aspect of his life of faith.
I gained so much encouragement from reading how God worked in his life, but I was disappointed in a few aspects of the book. Although we know there was a point when Mr. Muller became a Christian, there isn't a clear testimony provided in the book. Also, the testing of his faith didn't come because God needed to know how Mr. Muller would respond; I firmly believe God already knew how he would respond. Mr. Muller needed to know how he would respond so that his faith would be strengthened and he could move on to the next level.
Even with the limited number of drawbacks, I was encouraged and uplifted by his life lived out in faith. I'll close with a short quote: "The primary object of the work is, he observed, to show before the whole world...that even in these last evil days the living God is ready to prove Himself as the living God, by being ever willing to help...and answer the prayers of those who trust in Him."
June 19, 2021
This is book is awesome! It really helpful and beneficial to my personal walk with God and relationship with the Lord.
March 27, 2014
A life of Faith; a life of prayer. This is a powerful story of a man who walked and talked with God and did incredible things for the Lord. The trusting relationship that Muller had with God not only inspires but also challenges the way you spend time with God, as well as your lifestyle. Muller gave everything to God and trusted Him. Right to the end, God was faithful. The heart of God is seen in how He used Muller to accomplish His tasks.
His story really begs the question: do you really trust God with everything?
Miller's writing was clear and focused expressly on Muller's relationship with God and how the Lord used him. Everything was written in a way to truly glorify God-exactly what Muller wanted his life to show.
His story really begs the question: do you really trust God with everything?
Miller's writing was clear and focused expressly on Muller's relationship with God and how the Lord used him. Everything was written in a way to truly glorify God-exactly what Muller wanted his life to show.
December 22, 2008
*Man of Faith and Miracles* The remarkable and challenging story of a man who dared to believe that God both could and would supply all of his needs-whether personal or for the thousands of orphans in his care! This is the personal story of one of the greatest prayer warriors of the past century!! This biography surpassed all my
expectations. George Muller's faith and trust is a wonderful example of what God can do in our lives if we are fully committed to Him. I'd recommend this book to anyone and everyone!
expectations. George Muller's faith and trust is a wonderful example of what God can do in our lives if we are fully committed to Him. I'd recommend this book to anyone and everyone!
December 28, 2024
This is an inspiring biography about a man who set out to live his life so as to show the world that the living God is living still! By trusting God to provide food, clothes and shelter for over 2,000 orphans in his care, with a policy of never mentioning his needs to anyone but to God alone, George Muller's life illustrated that God hears and answers the prayers of those who put their trust in Him. George Muller's humility and simple approach to prayer has boosted my own confidence in prayer as illustration after illustration from this book testified to the love and faithfulness of God.
November 16, 2011
This was an amazing book. Not because it was well written, but because George Muller is such an inspiration as a man of absolute faith. I was listening on audio and it began to get repetitious after a while. More like a board report than a recounting of the answers to his prayers. Still, it was really worth the read. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to deepen their faith and prayer life.
August 3, 2016
Three stars only because the writing style was rough and it took effort to power through. However, the story of Muller himself is worth 5 stars alone. I would suggest another biography of the man, but if you would like to wet your appetite for biography, this is not a bad book to do so with.
December 11, 2016
Encouraging & challenging to my faith.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews