The Psalm 34 Challenge Day 17

Psalm 34:17, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

Consider this: David has told the story of the LORD’s direct care for him. Today’s verse shows that the LORD cares for all believers who trust Him and cry out to Him in their troubles. From a very young age, I was fascinated by stories of men and women who had a simple faith in God and the way the LORD answered their prayers. Two stories come to mind. One is the account of the faith of a poor widow, and the other is an often-told story of a man who cared for thousands of orphaned children. The LORD’s tender care for the righteous is apparent whether the need is little or much.

A poor, elderly Christian widow lived day-by-day depending on the LORD to provide for her needs. She traveled to town by bus to buy her basic groceries. One day, after buying her bread, she walked to the bus stop and sat on the bench. She looked in her purse and realized that she did not have the 25 cents she needed for her fare. She bowed her head and cried out to the LORD for the money she needed. While she prayed, she nervously swished her cane back and forth in the dirt at her feet. When she said, “Amen” she looked down at the dirt and saw a quarter stuck in the dirt, and the LORD delivered her out of her trouble.

As a new believer, I was captivated by the life of George Müller. He set out to prove to his generation that God hears and answers the prayers of the righteous. He longed to have something to point to as ‘visible proof that our God and Father is the same faithful creator as He ever was.’ He established orphanages, Bible training schools, Sunday schools and gave away astounding amounts of money to the work of the LORD in other countries. During his lifetime He cared for 10,024 orphans and trusted that God would provide all of his needs simply in answer to prayer. And He did!

One of my favorite biographies of his life is “Delighted in God” by Roger Steer. It’s very detailed (some might say ‘dry,’) and that is what I find fascinating. Müller developed orphanages in Bristol, England in the 1800s which grew to include up to 2,000 orphans at a time.

The Townsend family came to help George in his growing Sunday School work. They had a 3-year-old daughter named Abigail. Abbie loved George Müller and wanted to be just like him. He taught Abbie to pray, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24).

Roger Steer writes, “One of the best-loved ‘Müller anecdotes’ also includes Abigail Townsend…Early one morning Abigail was playing in the Müller’s garden on Ashley Down when he took her by the hand. ‘Come, see what our Father will do.’ He led her into a long dining room. The plates and cups or bowls were on the table. There was nothing on the table but empty dishes. There was no food in the larder (pantry) and no money to supply the need. The children were standing, waiting for breakfast.

‘Children, you know we must be in time for school,’ said Müller. Then lifting up his hands he prayed, ‘Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat.’

According to the account, a knock was then heard at the door. The baker stood there.

‘Mr. Müller, I couldn’t sleep last night. Somehow I felt you didn’t have bread for breakfast, and the Lord wanted me to send you some. So I got up at 2 o’clock and baked some fresh bread, and have brought it.’

Müller thanked the baker and praised God for His care. ‘Children,’ he said, ‘we not only have bread but the rare treat of fresh bread.’ Almost immediately there came a second knock at the door. This time it was the milkman who announced that his milk cart had broken down outside the orphanage and that he would like to give the children his cans of fresh milk so that he could empty his wagon and repair it.” (Delighted in God, Copyright © 1981, by Roger Steer, Harold Shaw Publishers’ revised edition, Wheaton, Illinois). The LORD heard his cry and God’s deliverance came.

Psalm 34:17, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”