LEONARD RAVENHILL

A holy flame in the pulpit, fueled by a life of secret prayer

In a dying church age where pew socks outnumbered faint hearts, a preacher rose against the shifting tide like thunder across the hills. Leonard Raven hill would not sugarcoat, twist scripture or accommodate. The man that heaven couldn't silence ignited revival fire into cold hearts.

Born in England in 1907, his bones ached for eternity and he walked this earth with one foot already in heaven. We tend to shy from uncompromised messages, yet when looking closer, instead of seeing nothing but religious zealous, we see a heart so close to the Father, that we pale in comparison. Yet never be condemned by seeing such love for God, but to  ignite a spark for a deeper closeness with Christ. So be inspired.

His message was simple: why have we no trembling before a holy God?

Profound Quotes

“If we displease God, does it matter whom we please? If we please Him, does it matter whom we displease?”

“No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.”

“There are two kinds of people in the world—only two kinds. Not black or white, rich or poor, but those either dead in sin or dead to sin.”

“There are three persons living in each of us: the one we think we are, the one other people think we are, and the one God knows we are.”

Uncompromised Preacher

Leonard Ravenhill was the son of a labourer and a praying woman. He grew up surrounded by gospel truth, but lived dissatisfied by fluffy religion. As a young man, he attended Cliff College under the ministry of Samuel Chadwick, a man who understood what it meant to bombard heaven with prayer until God finally relented. It was there at Cliff College that Leonard glimpsed what revival truly smelled like: hearts broken before pews were filled. He preached in the open-air, on street corners, anywhere this holy fire would burn. And burn it did. Crowds gathered not for amusement but conviction.

When slick services had audiences dry and God was preaching thunder, Leonard Ravenhill’s voice cut through the fog like a knife. Leonard Ravenhill could not be conformed, nor could he be comforted. And he sure as hell could not be compromised. He was the kind of preacher that when he spoke; it wasn’t information you gathered, but pure conviction that burned.

Leonard Ravenhill spent his whole life with eternity groaning in his bones and heaven trumpeting in his ears. He didn’t care if you liked him or if you’d heard of Him. In a dying church age when seats were filled but hearts grew weak, Leonard Ravenhill’s cry pierced the heavens: “WHERE IS THE CHURCH THAT TURNS ASHES IN HER HAND BEFORE A HOLY GOD?”

Ravenhill was born in England in 1907 to a blue-collar dad and a praying mom. He was raised up in the sound of gospel truth and never settled for cheap religion. At age 15 he attended Cliff College, learning under the guidance of Samuel Chadwick, a kind of man who understood what it meant to pray until heaven released an answer. Leonard learned that revival is heaven come down onto earth. Real revival. Heart-breaker revival. Not the brand you’ve come to know that fills auditoriums but shakes hardly anybody.

He preached in the open air. Street corners. Churches too dead to come back to life. Village after village, he preached until crowds wept with conviction. He never watered down the gospel for mass consumption. He spat out fire. He called for repentance. For holy-living, despite it wasnt popular, but because he knew it was true. He didn’t want you to LIKE him. He wanted you to FOLLOW JESUS. Toward the altar. Toward God.

After spending most of his years ministering in England, he set out for America where his voice would only grow stronger. No longer would churches shake at his preaching. They shook at his existence. Men loved him because he walked with God before he ever stood in front of men. His most impactful book by far, Why Revival Tarries cut through Christendom like a blast from a trumpet. It was never written to be poetic or funny, but conceived in agony and prayer. During sleepless nights weeping and praying for a church comfortable with spiritual lukewarm, Leonard Ravenhill cared too much to stay silent. He wept over what other Christians accepted. He groaned when laughing became acceptable over sin.

“The church used to be a lifeboat rescuing the perishing. Now it’s a cruise ship recruiting the promising.” But Ravenhill was no Pharisee pointing fingers. Oh no, you could hear the brokenness in his voice that yearned to see heaven come crashing down. He wasn’t angry. He was undone for the Bride of Christ.

Many traveled to visit him through the years. Up and coming young preachers. Pastors who had preached in tough soil for decades. Rav never gave them sermons, but showed them His shoulders and directed them to their knees. He loved leaders who loved prayer closets. He asked them questions like, “Have you wept for your city? Have you travailed for souls? Do you know what it means to fast, not to be seen by men, but to touch God?”

He cared little for fame or notoriety. His house was small and his time was protected. You see, he spent hours upon hours upon hours just spending time with God. He woke up early. And he refused to speak to people until he had spoken to God. God had taught him that no one should speak to men if they have not first spoken to God. There will be men who will accuse him of religious legalism in his intensity, but if we look careful into our hearts, we know that his ways were closer to god than our own daily routines.  So we should stay quiet and rather take a sip of Leonard's passion for Christ. 

You will often find men quoted in his books and speeches. Tozer, Finney or Watson used more than his arguments, as they understood as fellow labourers the weight of revival like he did. The older he grew the tender he became. Though his words may have stung, he had a heart to match grace like Heaven. He prayed with people for hours. He wept with people and embraced the miracle of a dead soul bowed before Jesus more than a healed body.

He died in 1994 to applause from a dying church. He left behind a fire that continues to grow. He didn’t want to build mega churches, instead wanted to light matches. And this fire is still spreading. Leonard Ravenhill taught us revival starts with the hearts of men being stirred by a CONVENED church assembled and convicted before a holy God.

He preached eloquence mean NOTHING without anointing. Preaching is not the delivery of information. It’s the application of power. God does not call you to “revive a METHOD.” He calls you to be Revived! Ravenhill lived to see one Soul laid down completely to the Spirit, and watch the Earth quake beneath her feet as eternity drew near.

Primary Books by Leonard Ravenhill

• Why Revival Tarries (1959) – His most famous work; a call to prayer and spiritual urgency.

• Meat for Men (1961) – A collection of hard-hitting revival sermons.

• Revival Praying (1962) – Focused specifically on the mechanics and heart of intercession.

• Tried & Transfigured (1963) – An analysis of the life of Christ as the model for the believer.

• Sodom Had No Bible (1971) – A prophetic critique of modern Western culture.

• America Is Too Young to Die (1979) – A warning regarding the spiritual decline of the United States.

• Revival God’s Way (1983) – A late-career summary of his theology on church awakening.

Compilations & Posthumous Releases

• A Treasury of Prayer (1961) – Compiled and edited by Ravenhill from the works of E.M. Bounds.

• Heart Breathings in Poetry and Prose (1995) – A collection of his shorter writings and verse.

• The Complete Works of Leonard Ravenhill (2024) – A comprehensive single-volume anthology edited by J.D. Langton.

Biographies

• In Light of Eternity: The Life of Leonard Ravenhill by Mack Tomlinson – The definitive, authorized biography detailing his upbringing, ministry, and legacy.