Revival Praying
Leonard Ravenhill's Revival Praying emerged from his decades of observation that the Western church had settled into comfortable mediocrity while genuine spiritual awakening remained elusive. Writing in 1962 as both an evangelist and keen student of revival history, Ravenhill diagnosed what he saw as the central problem: Christians had abandoned the kind of desperate, persistent prayer that marked every great spiritual awakening. The book crystallizes his conviction that revival is not a technique to be mastered but a divine visitation to be sought through radical prayer.
Ravenhill argues that modern Christians have domesticated prayer into a brief, polite ritual while the prayer warriors of previous revivals treated intercession as spiritual warfare requiring sacrifice and intensity. He contrasts contemporary prayer meetings—often sparsely attended and lacking urgency—with the all-night prayer vigils and seasons of fasting that preceded historic revivals. The book presents prayer not as petition but as prevailing with God, drawing heavily on biblical examples of those who wrestled in prayer until breakthrough came. Ravenhill insists that revival praying demands a willingness to pay a personal cost, often requiring believers to abandon comfort and reputation in pursuit of God's presence.
Revival Praying became a touchstone for subsequent generations seeking spiritual renewal, particularly within Pentecostal and charismatic circles where Ravenhill's emphasis on supernatural intervention resonated deeply. His passionate prose and uncompromising call for sacrificial prayer influenced leaders like David Wilkerson and continues to challenge prayer movements worldwide. The book's enduring appeal lies in its refusal to offer easy formulas, instead demanding that readers examine whether their prayer lives match their stated desire for revival.
Who should read this: Christians frustrated with shallow prayer experiences and those genuinely seeking spiritual breakthrough will find Ravenhill's challenge invigorating, though readers expecting practical prayer techniques or comfortable devotional material should look elsewhere.