Leader’s guide · 12 weeks
Leader’s guide: The Life of Trust (For Teens)
Using this guide with a class? See Ochorus for schools or homeschool families
This guide takes your group through The Life of Trust (For Teens) in twelve weeks, one chapter a week. It tells the true story of George Müller, a young thief and liar who was turned around by God and went on to care for orphans in Bristol by asking no one but God for what they needed. It is written for teenagers aged about 13 to 18 and suits a youth group, a homeschool or a small group.
Each session takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Open by saying the memory verse together (3 minutes). Read the chapter, either aloud together or at home beforehand (5–10 minutes). Talk through the chapter’s three questions, which come with answers to help you (10 minutes). Do the activity (10 minutes). Then close by praying, in your own words or inviting a volunteer to pray, about what the chapter raised (2–3 minutes). Each chapter ends with a “One thing to do” challenge, which is worth reading out before people leave.
To prepare, read the chapter yourself and glance at the activity; most weeks need only paper and pens. The story touches some tender places: Müller’s mother dies while he is out playing cards, his father threatens to disown him, a young woman pays off the debts of a father who drank, and money is tight on almost every page. Some of your group may know family conflict, a parent’s drinking or real financial pressure at home, so speak gently, never ask anyone about their own family or money, and keep any giving challenge about time and effort as much as cash. Let personal reflection stay private, and be ready to talk one-to-one with anyone the story stirs up.
Week 1 — The Way That Is Hard
As a boy George Müller stole from his father, once hiding the money in his shoe, and lying became a way of life; the night his mother was dying, he was out playing cards. At sixteen he was jailed for running out on an inn bill, and two hours after release he chose a troublemaker as his travelling companion. Outwardly he was a top student bound for university, but inside he was empty and every vow to change came to nothing. The big idea: you can be respected and rotten at the same time, but your track record is not the final word on you.
“Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.” — Proverbs 13:15 (WEB)
Memory verse
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Proverbs 28:13
Talk together
How did George’s father catch him stealing, and what happened when George was sixteen?
His father left counted money in a room and found a coin hidden in George’s shoe. At sixteen George ran from hotel bills, was arrested, and spent weeks in a prison cell.
Why does the chapter say good intentions like “Monday I’ll change” are worth nothing on their own?
George constantly swore to God he’d change, at confirmation and communion, and forgot within days. Pretending to reform only made him better at pretending.
Is there a gap between who people think you are and what you do when no one’s watching?
The chapter suggests telling God one true thing about yourself, plainly, with no excuses. You can’t be met where you’re pretending to be, and your track record isn’t the final word on you.
Activity
Reputation and Reality
You will need: Paper and pens
- Draw a line down the middle of a sheet of paper and label the sides “What people saw” and “What was really going on.”
- As a group, fill in both columns for George Müller using the chapter.
- Discuss why good intentions and promises to change did nothing for him on their own.
- Ask each person to write privately, for themselves only, one true thing they want to bring honestly to God this week.
- Fold the papers and let everyone keep their own.
Week 2 — House and Heart Are Open to You
In November 1825 a fellow student, Beta, mentioned a Saturday evening meeting where people read the Bible, sang and prayed, and George asked to come. The host told him, “Come as often as you please; house and heart are open to you,” and George saw a man kneel to pray for the first time. Even then he proudly thought he could pray better, yet he went home “peaceful and happy” and called that ordinary evening the turning point of his life. The big idea: a life with God can begin quietly, through an ordinary invitation and an open door.
“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” — Luke 15:20 (ESV)
Memory verse
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
Luke 15:20
Talk together
What happened at the Saturday evening meeting that stopped George cold?
A man knelt down on the floor to pray. George had never seen anyone kneel to pray and had never knelt himself.
What does Müller’s line “I obtained joy without any deep sorrow of heart” say about how faith can begin?
His turning point wasn’t dramatic: no tears or crisis, and he barely understood it. Yet that ordinary evening proved to be the turning point of his life.
Is there an invitation (a group, church or friend) you keep finding reasons to skip?
The chapter’s advice: say yes without waiting to feel worthy or have your questions sorted. Müller walked in confused and proud. Just walking in was his first step.
Activity
Undramatic Beginnings
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read Müller’s words aloud: “I obtained joy without any deep sorrow of heart, and with scarcely any knowledge.”
- Discuss: why do people sometimes think a faith story has to be dramatic to count?
- In pairs, list what made that room welcoming to a proud, confused student.
- As a group, turn the list into three practical ways your own group could make newcomers feel the door is open.
- Agree on one of them to try in the coming weeks.
Week 3 — Counting the Cost with His Own Father
Full of new faith, George wrote to his father and brother urging them to seek God and got an angry letter back. When he wanted to become a missionary, his father raged, said he would no longer count him a son, and then wept and begged, which George found “by far the harder trial.” George decided to take no more money from him, and soon American professors hired him as a tutor and paid him “enough and to spare.” The big idea: loving God first can cost us with people we love, and God can provide what obedience costs.
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” — Matthew 10:37 (ESV)
Memory verse
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Matthew 10:37
Talk together
How did George’s father react to his plan to become a missionary?
He was furious, said he would no longer consider George his son, and then begged and wept. Müller called that tearful pressure “by far the harder trial.”
Why did George refuse to take any more money from his father, and what followed?
His father funded him hoping for a comfortable clergyman son, which George would never become. Soon American professors hired him as a tutor, and he had “enough and to spare.”
Where might doing the right thing disappoint someone you love?
The chapter suggests naming it and deciding in advance what you’ll do. Müller kept loving his father but loved God first, and trusted God to provide what obedience cost.
Activity
Deciding in Advance
You will need: Paper and pens
- Point out that Müller had already counted the cost before the pressure came.
- In small groups, write two or three made-up situations where doing right might disappoint a parent, coach or friend.
- Swap situations with another group and talk through how to respond with both conviction and love.
- Discuss: why is pressure that cries harder to resist than pressure that shouts?
- Ask each person to note privately one area where they want to decide now what they will do.
Week 4 — Giving Up the Salary
In 1830, as pastor of a small church in Teignmouth, Müller gave up his salary of fifty-five pounds a year. It came from pew-rents, which gave the best seats to those who paid, people sometimes gave grudgingly, and the money had briefly tempted him to keep quiet about his beliefs on baptism. From then on he would accept free gifts through a box in the chapel but never ask anyone for anything, and he found refusing to drop hints even harder than giving up the salary. The big idea: money and approval can quietly buy our silence, so we must know where our leash is.
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 4:19 (ESV)
Memory verse
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
Talk together
What reasons did Müller give for giving up his salary in Teignmouth?
Pew-rents favoured the rich over the poor, which James 2 condemns. Due payments could make giving grudging. And the salary tempted him to keep quiet about his convictions.
What does “rather be poor and free than paid and muzzled” mean here?
A salary that could buy his silence was one he couldn’t trust himself to keep. Giving it up removed a leash before it could tighten.
Where might fear of losing something be deciding what you say or don’t say?
The chapter doesn’t ask you to blow up your life. It asks you to name where your leash is, because you can’t refuse to be pulled by one you won’t admit is there.
Activity
Where Is the Leash?
You will need: A whiteboard or large sheet of paper
- List Müller’s three reasons for giving up the salary on the board.
- Ask the group to name things that can quietly control what teenagers say or don’t say, such as friends, followers, grades or money.
- For each, discuss how it might “buy silence” in everyday life.
- Ask: what did Müller gain by being “poor and free” rather than “paid and muzzled”?
- Invite everyone to think privately about which leash pulls on them most.
Week 5 — Bread for the Evening
On Sunday 27 November 1831 the Müllers had twopence-halfpenny and barely enough bread for the day, so George asked God plainly for bread for the evening. While he was still praying, a poor woman knocked, bringing some of her own dinner and five shillings, and later returned with a large loaf. The book warns that famous legends about Müller are bigger than what he recorded; God’s answers usually came through ordinary people who were moved to act, and Müller admits days when he was tempted to distrust. The big idea: we can ask God plainly for real needs and watch for the ordinary ways he answers.
“Give us this day our daily bread.” — Matthew 6:11 (ESV)
Memory verse
Give us this day our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11
Talk together
What happened on Sunday, November 27, 1831, after Müller prayed for bread?
While he was still praying, a poor woman knocked. She brought some of her own dinner and five shillings, and later came back with a large loaf.
Why does the chapter warn against the dramatic legends about Müller?
Because what he actually recorded is smaller and more human: God usually moved ordinary people to give. The answers are no less real for being ordinary.
What specific need could you ask God for plainly this week?
The chapter suggests naming a real need, not a wish, out loud and in detail, then watching for ordinary answers like a person or an offer. Faith names the thing and pays attention.
Activity
Legend or Ledger?
You will need: Paper and pens
- Explain the chapter’s warning that stories about Müller often get exaggerated.
- Read out the plain record of 27 November 1831 from the chapter.
- In pairs, discuss why the real, smaller answer might be more encouraging than a dramatic legend.
- Each person writes privately one real, specific need to pray about this week.
- Encourage everyone to note how and when an answer comes, and bring it back if they wish.
Week 6 — Open Your Mouth Wide
In Bristol Müller saw believers worn out and afraid about money, and he wanted to give them visible proof that God still answers prayer by caring for orphans without asking anyone for a penny. He tested his motives hard, praying for days and asking a friend to probe for pride, and he remembered an orphan boy sent away to a distant poorhouse. In December 1835 he took hold of the words “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it,” asked for a building, a thousand pounds and helpers, and two days later received one shilling. The big idea: big faith and honest checking of our motives belong together.
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” — Psalm 81:10 (ESV)
Memory verse
I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Psalm 81:10
Talk together
How did Müller test whether the orphan-house idea was really from God?
He prayed for days that God would remove it if it was ego, examined his heart repeatedly, and asked a friend to probe for hidden pride.
Why was Müller not discouraged when the first gift was a single shilling?
The point was never the size of the first gift. It was whether God had said “Open your mouth wide,” and he was sure God had.
What would you ask God for if you believed he could do it, and is it about him or you?
The chapter says big faith and honesty about motives belong together. Write the request down, test it honestly, keep it if it survives, then start asking.
Activity
The Müller Test
You will need: Paper and pens
- Ask everyone to write privately one thing they would ask God for if they really believed he could do it.
- As a group, list honest questions Müller might ask to test whether a dream is about God and others or mostly about me.
- Each person runs their own idea through the questions, privately.
- Discuss: why do some people dream big without checking motives, while others never ask God for much at all?
Week 7 — Built on Ten Shillings
At the December 1835 meeting to explain the orphan house, Müller made sure there was “purposely no collection” and no emotional appeal, and only ten shillings was given, yet he went home full of confidence. Gifts then began arriving unasked: a wardrobe, dishes, cutlery, fabric and blankets, a brother and sister offering to run the house without salary, then fifty and a hundred pounds. On 21 April 1836 the first orphan house opened with seventeen children. The big idea: work done God’s way, without pressure or manipulation, depends on his Spirit and shows his hand.
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” — Zechariah 4:6 (ESV)
Memory verse
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.
Zechariah 4:6
Talk together
What was unusual about the public meeting Müller held in December 1835?
There was purposely no collection, and he refused to “work upon the feelings.” Afterwards only ten shillings was given, and a woman offered to work.
Why did Müller go home “full of confidence” with only ten shillings given?
His confidence was never in the amount raised but in whether God was in it. A house built by manipulation would have proved nothing.
Where are you tempted to push, spin or guilt-trip to get a result?
The chapter challenges you to do one thing without spin: ask plainly or not at all, and trust God with the outcome instead of your own pressure.
Activity
Pitch Without Pressure
You will need: Paper and pens
- In small groups, choose a good cause such as a food bank or a youth event.
- Write a short, honest appeal for it with no exaggeration, no guilt-tripping and no emotional pressure.
- Read the appeals aloud and let the group point out any spin that crept in.
- Discuss why Müller chose the slower, riskier way and what it proved.
Week 8 — The Seamstress Who Gave It All
A. L., a poor seamstress earning about three shillings and sixpence a week, inherited four hundred and eighty pounds. Though her father had died in debt from drinking and she owed his creditors nothing, she quietly paid them in full, gave her mother a hundred pounds and sent a hundred to the orphan house, saying, “The Lord Jesus has given his last drop of blood for me, and should I not give him this hundred pounds?” She kept living plainly, told almost no one, gave until it was all gone, and in her poverty God provided for her through another believer. The big idea: real generosity gives what we will feel, and gives it quietly to God.
“Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” — Mark 12:43–44 (ESV)
Memory verse
Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.
Mark 12:43–44
Talk together
What did A. L. do with the four hundred and eighty pounds she inherited?
She paid her father’s debts in full though she legally owed nothing, gave her mother a hundred pounds, and sent a hundred pounds to the orphan house.
What makes A. L.’s generosity stand out, according to the chapter?
She gave what she would actually need, kept her plain clothes and her sewing, and told almost no one. Her giving earned her no admiration at all.
Do you give mostly what you won’t miss? What might real, secret giving look like for you?
The chapter suggests giving something you’ll feel, such as money, time or effort, and telling no one. If you need the credit, it wasn’t quite a gift.
Activity
Quiet Giving
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read A. L.’s sentence about the Lord Jesus giving his last drop of blood.
- As a group, brainstorm ways teenagers can give that cost something real: time, effort, a comfort, a skill.
- Discuss why giving that no one sees is so much harder than giving everyone sees.
- Each person chooses privately one thing to give this week and decides to tell no one.
Week 9 — Almost by the Hour
In autumn 1838, with around a hundred people to feed in three orphan houses, money came in “by the day now, and almost by the hour,” and some days nothing came. Müller and his coworkers refused to go into debt, and on one of the worst days he wrote out eleven reasons why God should send help. His coworkers gave their own money; one sold his watch and gold pins, and one woman gave her last sixteen shillings. The big idea: a slow answer is not the same as no answer, so we keep praying honestly without quitting or cheating.
“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.” — Psalm 68:5 (ESV)
Memory verse
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
Psalm 68:5
Talk together
What rule did Müller and his coworkers keep during the hard autumn of 1838?
They would never buy anything they couldn’t pay for on the spot, because the Bible says “Owe no man anything.” They paid cash or went without.
Why did Müller write out eleven reasons for God to send help?
It kept him from drifting into vague despair. He brought God specific arguments: God’s honour, the fatherless as God’s children, weak believers, and his own inability to carry the burden.
When you’re doing the right thing and help doesn’t come, how do you respond?
The chapter says a slow answer isn’t no answer. Müller neither abandoned his convictions nor faked peace: he prayed honestly and did the next right thing, refusing to quit or cheat.
Activity
Eleven Reasons
You will need: Paper and pens
- Read out some of Müller’s reasons for asking God to send help.
- Discuss: is it right to bring God arguments and reasons? What does it show about Müller’s faith?
- Ask each person to choose privately a prayer they have nearly given up on.
- Have them write down, for themselves only, the real and specific reasons they are asking.
- Close the activity by naming together the next honest step that can be taken while waiting.
Week 10 — The Money Next Door
On 18 September 1838, with funds gone, a woman finally brought three pounds, two shillings and sixpence that her daughter had sent; she had been lodging next door to the boys’ orphan house with the money for four or five days. Müller saw it as proof that help was in God’s heart from the beginning, and that God let them pray long because he delights in his children’s prayers. Weeks later a letter with ten pounds was laid on the table while the coworkers were still on their knees. The big idea: silence is not absence, and God’s help may be nearer than we think while we wait.
“Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.” — Isaiah 65:24 (ESV)
Memory verse
Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.
Isaiah 65:24
Talk together
Where had the money that rescued the orphanage on September 18 been waiting?
A woman carrying her daughter’s gift had lodged right next door to the boys’ orphan house for four or five days before bringing it over.
How did Müller explain why God let them pray so long when help was already close?
He said it proved help was in God’s heart from the start. God delights in his children’s prayers, and let them wait to try their faith and make the answer sweeter.
How do you usually read silence after you pray?
The chapter suggests looking back on a time an answer came late and tracing how close it may have been. The delay may be part of the gift, not God’s absence.
Activity
Tracing the Answer
You will need: Paper and pens
- Ask each person to think of a time something they hoped or prayed for came late.
- Have them draw a simple timeline privately, marking when they started waiting and when the answer came.
- On the timeline, mark anything that was already moving before they saw it.
- Invite anyone who wants to share a story with the group, without pressure.
- Discuss Müller’s idea that waiting can be part of the gift.
Week 11 — A Bank That Cannot Break
In February 1839 visitors to the boys’ orphan house asked the matron whether they had a good stock of funds, and she replied, “Our funds are deposited in a bank which cannot break,” though there was not a penny in hand that day. The visitor was moved to tears, and the gentleman gave five pounds as he left. Müller was careful and kept out of debt, but he would not let his heart rest on anything that could fail. The big idea: every earthly security can break, so our ultimate trust belongs in God, who cannot.
“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” — Matthew 6:20 (ESV)
Memory verse
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Matthew 6:20
Talk together
How did the matron answer when a visitor asked, “Have you a good stock?”
She said, “Our funds are deposited in a bank which cannot break,” though there wasn’t a penny in hand that day. The gentleman then gave five pounds.
Why does the chapter call the matron’s calm “the whole tell”?
You can’t fake or borrow that calm. It only comes from truly moving your trust from the bank that can break to God, who cannot.
What do you secretly count on to feel safe?
The chapter doesn’t say you must get rid of it, since Müller was careful too. It asks you not to put ultimate confidence in what can fail, and to move some trust to God.
Activity
Banks That Break
You will need: Paper and pens
- As a group, list things people rely on to feel secure, such as savings, grades, popularity, looks or a plan B.
- For each, discuss how it could fail.
- Ask: why could the matron be calm with no money in the house?
- Ask each person to write privately the one thing they most count on to feel safe.
- Challenge them to trust God with one thing this week they would normally handle by holding on tight.
Week 12 — The Best Part of the Day
Müller had weak health and slept in and napped to rest, but found his soul running on empty. In Plymouth in 1839 a friend said the best part of our time should be given to communion with the Lord, so Müller began rising early, with about seven hours’ sleep, to pray and read Scripture first, and his health improved. He did not make it a rigid rule, but asked who gets the best part of the day. The big idea: a life of trust is built by giving God the best of our time before anything else claims it.
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” — Mark 1:35 (ESV)
Memory verse
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
Mark 1:35
Talk together
What changed Müller’s morning routine during his 1839 stay in Plymouth?
His host said the best part of our time should be given to communion with the Lord. Müller began rising early for prayer and Scripture and gave up naps.
What surprised Müller about his health after he started getting up earlier?
His health improved. He came to believe the extra sleep had kept him weak, and body and soul both did better once God got the best of the day.
What gets the first and best part of your day?
The chapter names the phone as today’s version of Müller’s warm bed. It suggests giving the first ten minutes to God before touching your phone, while not making a rigid rule.
Activity
The First Ten Minutes
You will need: Paper and pens
- Ask everyone to write down privately what they usually do in the first ten minutes after waking.
- Discuss the chapter’s point that Müller’s enemy was a warm bed and ours is often a bright screen.
- In pairs, plan a realistic first ten minutes with God: where the phone goes, what to read, how to pray.
- Challenge everyone to try it for the next week.
- Look back over the whole book together and name what most stood out about Müller’s life of trust.