6. A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID RAVENHILLSTREAMS: Your father Leonard Ravenhill had a profound influence upon thelives of Keith Green, David Wilkerson and many others. What was it likegrowing up around Christian celebrities?DAVID RAVENHILL: My father did have a major influence on these men andon many others. But it was not until later that I met these men, so Iwas not raised around them. My wife, Nancy, and I had the privilege ofbeginning our ministry in New York City with David Wilkerson and onoccasion I had the opportunity to minister for Keith Green. Both thesemen were humble and would not consider themselves celebrities, butsimply men raised up by the grace of God.STREAMS: Someone said that when your father prayed, heaven came down.Would you agree?DAVID RAVENHILL: Yes, there were times when you really sensed that myfather touched God's throne in prayer. You were aware that it wasfamiliar territory to him. Prayer was his life.Ever since I can remember, I have seen my father praying. He would prayfour to six hours a day. Even at the age of 87, just prior to hispassing away, he would still rise up in the night to put in time inprayer and in the Word. He would prostrate himself on his face beforeGod. He would often go away for several days with other godly men andspend time with them in prayer and fasting.My father was a firm believer that when the Church is in a rightrelationship with God, no weapon formed by the enemy can stand againstHer. When the Church is not in a right relationship, no amount ofwarfare is effective. He often quoted Psalm 81:13-14: "Oh that My peoplewould listen to Me, that Israel had walked in My ways! I would soonsubdue their enemies and turn My hand against their adversaries."STREAMS: What aspects of your father's prayer life influenced yourprayer time?DAVID RAVENHILL: The biggest influence my father had was his consistencyand his fervency.STREAMS: Your two books deal with spiritual maturity. Why is this themeimportant to your work and vision?DAVID RAVENHILL: My wife and I are now the proud grandparents of fourwonderful grandchildren. They are adorable and we love to see them andspend as much time with them as possible. Likewise, there is nothingmore glorious than a newborn babe in Christ, but if a child neverdevelops there is something tragically wrong. In a similar way, theApostle Paul expresses this burden when he wrote to the Corinthians andtold them they are still in need of milk because they are spiritualbabes. His longing was for them to receive the meat of God's Word.Spiritual maturity is best expressed by Jesus' statement: "I must beabout my Father's business." Spiritual immaturity is seen when we arealways wanting the Father to be about OUR business.STREAMS: What is the significance of the title, THEY DRANK FROM THERIVER, AND DIED IN THE WILDERNESS.DAVID RAVENHILL: As you may be aware, the term "river" is used toexpress much of what God is doing today throughout the Body of Christ.This book is not in any way opposing this wonderful move of God.However, the book seeks to bring a much needed balance to the manyextremes of this refreshing. As people, we have a tendency to chaseafter supernatural manifestations and experiences, and never move intoGod's purposes.The book's title was taken from 1 Corinthians 10:4-5. The Apostle Paulwarns the Church that in the wilderness, Israel was surrounded by thesupernatural and daily drank from the river of God's presence. Yet onlytwo, of more than 1 million people who left Egypt, ever made it to thePromised Land, which represent God's purposes in our lives. Likewise,God told Gideon to take his men down to the river where they would betested. Those who drank simply for their own satisfaction andgratification were rejected, but those who drank while maintaining aposture of vigilance were chosen. Today, I believe there is a lot ofselfish drinking that is not in accordance with God's purposes.STREAMS: Are you working on a third book?DAVID RAVENHILL: Yes. Currently, I am working on a third book for whichthe working title is "For Heaven's Sake, Listen." I am basing this bookaround God's messages to the seven churches in Revelation. As I travelaround the nation, I am repeatedly asked, "What do you hear God sayingto the Church?" For many years I've longed to be able to give them atrue prophetic word. The Holy Spirit drew my attention to Revelation 1-3and to the phrase, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what theSpirit says to the Church". For most of my ministry, I had sought tohave ears to hear the current message to the Church. I now realize thatthis is a serious error. We don't do this with any other portion ofScripture.I have a deep and growing conviction that the messages to the sevenchurches are both timeless and universal. They reveal to us what Godcondones and what He condemns. What he values and what He voids. What Heapproves, and what He disapproves. So, the book is dealing with some ofthese issues.STREAMS: Last year, your returned to your father's homestead in Lindale,Texas. What have you enjoyed most about returning home?DAVID RAVENHILL: My wife and I are both convinced that God brought ushere to a spiritual legacy that we don't fully understand. We purchasedmy parent's home and property. So we are adjusting to a rural lifestyle.I now have the privilege of having my father's office and many thousandsof volumes of his books.We are also surrounded by international ministries that areheadquartered in East Texas--ministries such as Teen Mania, Youth With AMission, Mercy Ships, and Calvary Commission. I am convinced that Godhas a deeper purpose here than any of us realize. I pray that in Hisseason, this will become clear. In the meantime, I continue to travelthroughout the United States and overseas. God has been faithful inopening doors for us. We continue to overwhelmed by His grace andgoodness.To order a copy of David's books, you can do so online athttp://www.streamsministries.com. Or, call us toll-free (U.S. andCanada) at 888-441-8080.=========================================================
