Müller's practice

George Müller (1805–1898) was a pastor in Bristol, England, who cared for more than ten thousand orphans without ever asking anyone for money. He brought every need to God in prayer, and kept careful records of how those prayers were answered.

The Word before prayer

For years Müller began each morning by praying, but often found his mind wandering. Around 1841 he changed the order: after a brief request for God's blessing, he opened the Bible first and meditated on it verse by verse. Before long, his meditation turned naturally into confession, thanksgiving, intercession, and supplication. This app uses ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) as prompts to let the reading lead your prayer to Him. The point was not to prepare a sermon but to have his own soul nourished and glad in God before the day began.

The whole Bible, in order

He read straight through the Old and New Testaments rather than skipping around. In his later years he read the whole Bible about four times a year, and well over a hundred times in his life.

Specific, persevering prayer

Müller prayed for definite things, kept praying until they were answered — sometimes for many years — and wrote the answers down as a testimony to God's faithfulness.

Six counsels for reading

1. 1

   Read it through regularly

   Go through the whole Bible in order, again and again, so you meet all of God's Word and not only favorite parts.

2. 2

   Read with prayer

   Ask God to open your eyes before and while you read. Understanding is His gift.

3. 3

   Read with meditation

   Go slowly. Turn a verse over in your mind until it begins to feed you.

4. 4

   Read with reference to yourself

   Ask what the passage says to you — not to others, and not for a lesson you might teach.

5. 5

   Read with faith

   Take God at His word. Believe the promises are for you and the warnings are real.

6. 6

   Read to put it into practice

   Carry something into the day. The Word is meant to be done, not only known.

Scripture links open the English Standard Version at esv.org. Your plan, notes, and prayers are stored on this device. The app doesn't send them to us or anyone else. Add the app to your Home Screen and download a backup from Plan → Your data.