A Couple of Days with Leonard Ravenhill

Yesterday was my day off. Since I am generally on the schedule for Saturdays, I chose Wednesday as my "other" day off, apart from Sunday. Yesterday, I spent the day with Leonard Ravenhill. But, you may protest, didn't he go home to be with the Lord? Well, yes he did...but his messages live on both in print and in some video clips on the 'net.

There is much I could say about this man, even from such a short acquaintance. He loved the Lord. He had a passion and a zeal to know Christ. He desired to be much in prayer and in the Bible. These things are evidenced throughout much of his conversation, and probably, through much of his writing as well.

I have, in previous posts, included some quotes from his writings. Here are a few more that I came across yesterday:

Some women will spend thirty minutes to an hour preparing for church externally (putting on special clothes and makeup, etc.). What would happen if we all spent the same amount of time preparing internally for church, with prayer and meditation?

You can’t develop character by reading books. You develop it from conflict.

When there’s something in the Bible that churches don’t like, they call it ‘legalism.’

You can have all of your doctrines right, yet still not have the presence of God.

One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed.

We Christians are debtors to all men at all times in all places, but we are so smug to the lostness of men. We've been "living in Laodicea", lax, loose, lustful, and lazy. Why is there this criminal indifference to the lostness of men? Our condemnation is that we know how to live better than we are living. The Bible parable says that while men slept, the enemy sowed tares among the wheat. A boy who rises at 4:30 to deliver papers is considered a go-getter, but to urge our young people to rise at 5:30 to pray is considered fanaticism. We must once again wear the harness of discipline. There is no other way.

No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. The pulpit can be a shop window to display one's talents; the prayer closet allows no showing off.

A man may study because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But he prays because his soul is hungry for God.

To be much for God, we must be much with God. Jesus, that lone figure in the wilderness, knew strong crying, along with tears. Can one be moved with compassion and not know tears? Jeremiah was a sobbing saint. Jesus wept! So did Paul. So did John...Though there are some tearful intercessors behind the scenes, I grant you that to our modern Christianity, praying is foreign.

No man - I don't care how colossal his intellect - No man is greater than his prayer life.

The question isn't were you challenged. The question is were you changed?

In my next post, I will try to elaborate a little on Brother Ravenhill's message, at least the points I took from it, and explain a little about how I believe it relates to us today. I'll conclude this post with a poem that Brother Ravenhill quoted in one of his messages.

My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace;
Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.
'Tis His to lead me there, not mine but His...
At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.

So faith bounds forward to its goal in God,
and love can trust her Lord to lead her there.
Upheld by Him, my soul is foll'wing hard,
Till God hath full fulfilled my deepest prayer.

No matter if the way be sometimes dark,
No matter though the cost be oft-times great,
He knoweth how I best shall reach the mark,
The way that leads to Him must needs be straight.

One thing I know, I cannot say Him nay;
One thing I do, I press on towards my Lord.
My God, my Glory here from day to day,
And in the glory there, my Great Reward.

By Frederick Brook