14 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a man caring for orphans takes every need to prayer, but never asks the public for money?
George Müller begins as a thieving, gambling youth in Prussia. At Halle, he studies theology for the promise of a comfortable post. A prayer meeting changes his course. The Life of Trust follows him toward England, where he gives up a pastor’s salary and makes faith the basis of his daily work.
In Bristol, Müller turns his attention to children without homes. As the orphan houses grow, so do their needs. He records money, gifts, and moments when funds run out. For Müller, these details support his belief that God answers prayer in practical matters. For readers, they bring his convictions close to the daily demands of care.
What you’ll discover
- An unlikely beginning Follow a wayward young man as his ambitions turn toward faith and the care of others.
- Faith beside the accounts Find gifts and sums of money recorded alongside Müller's prayers and stated convictions.
- Homes for vulnerable children Trace the work from Wilson Street houses to a larger site at Ashley Down.
- A salary set aside Consider Müller's choice to give up regular pay and rely on prayer.
- A plain personal record Meet a writer who sets out daily needs rather than offering a polished narrative.
Who will love it
This book will delight readers who love true stories of faith in action, journals of daily prayer, and accounts of charity and orphan care in Victorian England.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Trust begins far from faith
- A prayer meeting changes his direction
- He exchanges salary for voluntary gifts
- An orphan house makes trust visible
- Scarcity brings the workers into prayer
- Scripture gives daily prayer its shape
- Prayer guides plans for another house
- Trust reaches beyond financial needs
- Trust takes a repeatable daily form
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook opens when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
The Life of Trust in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Life of Trust
by George Müller · 1861
A penniless pastor kneels in Bristol and asks God, not people, to feed hundreds of orphans every day.
Medium level10–20 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeRenews every year · Cancel anytimeHow it works
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever.”
In short
A sixteen-year-old sits in a Prussian jail, a thief and a liar with no interest in God. Decades later he runs a vast orphanage in Bristol and has never asked a single person for money.
The Life of Trust at a glance
- Reading time
- About 10 h7 h 55 min fast, 11 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 142,900 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1861by George Müller
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A thief and liar begins the story
George Müller opens with a confession. Born in 1805 in Prussia, he steals money his father handles before he is ten. His father catches him by leaving a counted sum in the room and stepping out.
The habits grow. On the night his mother dies, he plays cards until two in the morning. The next day he drinks with friends in a tavern. At sixteen he spends money meant for his father on hotels, tries to slip away from an inn and is arrested. He spends weeks in jail among thieves and murderers.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1861
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Müller, George. The Life of Trust. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-life-of-trust.
Müller, G. (2026). The life of trust. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-life-of-trust (Original work published 1861)
Müller, George. The Life of Trust. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-life-of-trust.
@book{muller2026life,
author = {Müller, George},
title = {The Life of Trust},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-life-of-trust},
note = {First published 1861}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every eBookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Life of Trust
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Life of Trust about?
It is George Müller's own account of his life, drawn from journals. It follows his rough boyhood, his faith, his decision to live without a salary, and his work in Bristol caring for orphans and supporting missions through prayer alone.
Who is George Müller?
He was a Prussian-born Christian who settled in England and became a pastor in Bristol. He founded the Scriptural Knowledge Institution and a large orphanage on Ashley Down, and he died in 1898.
Is The Life of Trust a true story?
Yes, it is a firsthand account, built from the author's dated journal entries, with annual figures and letters. He first published the Narrative in 1837 and added to it over the next decades, and Bristol visitors could see the houses themselves.
The author
George Müller
1805–1898 · German-English clergyman
George Müller was a German-born Christian minister, born in Kroppenstedt, Prussia, in 1805. He moved to England in 1829 and settled in Bristol in 1832. He established orphanages there and wrote an autobiographical narrative, first published in 1837. He lived in Bristol until his death in 1898.
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever.”
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
