Obstacle to Comfort [videorecording]

George Müller of Bristol became a legend in his own generation. He was the builder of schools, a supporter of missions, and a father to some 10,000 orphans. The amazing issue of his life does not lie in what he did but in how he accomplished it. He operated by faith, relying solely on God to meet all his needs and those of the ministry he founded. He refused to accept any donations from unbelievers, and when he started his Scriptural Knowledge Institution (SKI) to accomplish these tasks, he and his partner possessed no more than one shilling - or twelve pence - together. He refused to tell anyone of his needs, mentioning them only to God in private, on his knees. In reviewing the 63 years he spent in a true faith-based ministry, the results are staggering. Collectively, the school had 121,683 students. The orphanage had five mammoth buildings that accommodated the needs of 10,000 orphans. It is believed that 2,813 orphans left SKI as believers, who in turn led thousands more to Christ. The Institution also distributed more than 281,000 Bibles, nearly 1.5 million New Testaments, and at least 11 million tracts. Several hundred missionaries also received financial assistance, totaling nearly 260,000 pounds ($1,250,000 then - about $15.2 million today). Sixty-three foreign missionaries were sent out from Müller's church alone. He also built 10 other churches, six of which were self-supporting at the time of his death. Nearly 1,500,000 pounds ($7,250,000 then - about $87.5 million today) was contributed to SKI as a direct result of his prayers. His principles survived his death and, by 1939, the cumulative funds prayed into the Institution totaled approximately 2,370,000 pounds ($10.5 million then - about $127 million today). In stark contrast to many "faith ministries" of today, all of this was accomplished without fund-raising appeals or modern technology: No satellite programming. No emotion-driven crusades. No mass mailings. No telethons, No tent revivals. No telemarketing. George Müller's testimony is a pure example of God's grace through "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man." - Publisher.