God-Hungry Men

One of the great blessings in my life has been some of the old books my grandfather gave me.  Several of them were by the great Revivalist preacher named Leonard Ravenhill.  In reading this morning in Ravenhill's book - Meat for Men, I found myself greatly challenged by the opening of Chapter 2.  Here is what Ravenhill writes.  Enjoy the challenge...

"God hungry men find God.  As the deer pants after the water brooks, so the souls of the Upper-Room crowd panted for the living God.  Spiritually naked, they fled to Him that they might be clothed upon with the blessed Spirit.  Empty, they craved to be filled.  Powerless, they tarried until they were endued.  Bankrupt and beggar-like, they pled the riches of His grace.  Then this fear-filled crowd became fire-filled messengers.  Though swordless, these soldiers of Christ fought the might of imperial Rome and won.  Though without eccelesiastical prestige, they opposed the frozen orthodoxy of sterile Judaism and pierced it to the heart.  Unlettered, they unblushingly declared the whole counsel of God and eventually staggered the intellectual Greeks.

Without question, the greatest need of this hour is that the church shall meet her ascended Lord again, and get an enduement that would usher in the revival of revivals just before the night of nights settles over this age of incomparable corruption.

My guess is that the waiting host in the Upper Room never anticipated the rushing, mighty wind, were staggered by the tongues of fire, and were all amazed that they had utterance they could not define.  To say that these folk were all backsliders awaiting another touch from God is to twist truth.  Backsliders are the most joyless fold in the world, but these disciples, having seen the Master recently ascend to heaven in a cloud, had returned to Jerusalem with great joy.  They had fled to the Upper Room to await the promise of the Father.  That meant they were obedient; backsliders are disobedient.  After Christ's ascension they worshipped Him; backsliders forsake Him.  No, let's get this straight: these were a happy people, an obedient people, a worshipping people, a praying people."

Leonard Ravenhill - Meat for Men, pp. 19-20.  Bethany Fellowship, Inc.  1961.