昨天我們談過「復興禱告」的第三個特點是大膽和坦率。今天我們要繼續探討「大膽」這個特點，這也是所有「復興禱告」的特點。當然，魯莽與關切只是一線之差，對某些人來說，詩人似乎越了界，叫神興起，實在很難視為對神虔敬或尊重的態度，但正如我們昨天說過，是隱藏在這些說話背後的聖靈，准許詩人這樣禱告。

我常在禱告會中聽到有些人模仿詩人和其他舊約人物的強烈語言，但是很少感到他們有著和詩人一樣的強烈關切之情。由於缺乏這種關切之情，以致他們的禱告變得沒意義和空洞。有一位傳記作家告訴我，他曾在復興出現前，在威爾斯北部某處聽到偉大的伊凡思（Christmas Evans）禱告說：「主啊，醒來，振作一下吧！您看不見您的教會發生甚麼事嗎？您容許事情這樣繼續下去，實在丟臉。求您做點事吧！任何事都好，求您盡快做點事吧！」

那位傳記作家繼續說：「聽到他這樣祈禱的人屏息靜氣，不禁想他這麼狂妄，為何神沒有擊殺他。但他們不知道的是，伊凡思已蒙允許與神這樣對話。」他不單使用語言──他透過那語言去表達內心深切的關注。當熱誠和膽量結合起來的時候，你就能擁有一種元素──神樂意應允禱告的元素。

We must spend another day looking at this quality of boldness which seems to be a characteristic of all "revival praying". There is a fine line, of course, between impertinence and concern. To some it may appear that the psalmist has crossed this line. Telling God to rouse Himself hardly seems to be a reverent or respectful way of approaching Him. But, as we said yesterday, it is the spirit underlying the words that makes it permissible.

I have often heard people in prayer meetings try to copy the strong language of the psalmist and other Old Testament characters, but only on a few occasions have I felt that they had the psalmist's same burning concern. And lacking that concern, their prayers came across as empty and hollow. One biographer tells of listening to the great Christmas Evans praying before the outbreak of revival in a certain part of North Wales. This is what he said: "Wake up, O Lord, and shake Yourself. Can't you see what is happening to Your Church? It's shameful that You allow things to go on like this. Do anything - do something - and do it soon".

The biographer went on to say: "Those who heard him caught their breath and wondered why God did not strike him dead for his impertinence. But what they did not know was that Christmas Evans had earned the right to talk to God in this way." He was not just using language - he was expressing through that language the deep concern of his heart. And when those two things combine - passion and daring - you have the ingredients of the kind of prayer that God delights to answer.