Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill

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   The Originator: The quote was written by James O. Fraser (1886ΓÇô1938), the missionary to the Lisu people in China. It reflects the intense inner struggles he documented in his journals regarding prayer and sacrifice during his early, difficult years on the mission field. Leonard Ravenhill (1907ΓÇô1994), the fiery British evangelist and author, was a deeply devoted admirer of James O. Fraser. Ravenhill viewed Fraser as the supreme example of the agonizing, prevailing prayer life that he believed was missing in the modern church. The quote is a spiritual adaptation of the famous speech delivered by American Founding Father Patrick Henry in 1775. Ravenhill takes Henry's political ultimatum regarding physical slavery and reimagines it as a spiritual ultimatum regarding the slavery of sin and apathy. While Henry asked if life or peace were sweet enough to be purchased with chains, Ravenhill asks if our time on earth and our home comforts are worth the price of spiritual powerlessness. In the broader context of the book, Ravenhill argues that the modern church has lost its power because it has prioritized comfort, intellectualism, and organization over prayer and holiness. He was writing during the post-war economic boom of the 1950s when Western Christians were becoming increasingly wealthy and comfortable. Ravenhill viewed this comfort as a sedative that lulled Christians into ignoring the desperate spiritual needs of the millions of people dying without the Gospel. The specific argument in this passage is a challenge to the integrity of the reader. Ravenhill suggests that many Christians are actually materialists who are primarily concerned with physical possessions and comfort but hide their worldliness behind a thin veneer of Bible verses to appear religious. He warns that this hypocrisy will be exposed at the final judgment of God. He characterizes the failure of the believer as prayerlessness without tears to imply that a true Christian should be weeping in prayer for the lost rather than enjoying the safety of a comfortable home. In the full text, Ravenhill answers his own rhetorical question with a thunderous conclusion that mirrors the original cadence of Patrick Henry. He asks God to forbid such compromise and declares that while he does not know what course others might take, he demands revival in his soul, his church, and his nation, or he would rather die.