我們已經討論過「復興禱告」的兩個特點是熱誠和持久；而「復興禱告」的第三個特點是大膽和坦率。在閱讀和研究這個課題時，對於神的百姓祈求祂賜下復興時，用那麼大膽和坦率的說話，我實在感到十分驚訝。

我們可在今天的經文中看到這個特點，詩人好像責怪神在工作時睡覺，試看一下摩法特（Moffatt）譯本所用的生動語言：「永恆者啊，振作一下吧！為何睡覺？醒來吧！啊，不要永遠拋棄我們！為何你要隱藏你的臉，忘記我們的哀傷和沮喪？我們的靈魂要伏向塵土。」詩人這種語言是何等的強烈和坦率，然而說服神正是需要這種態度和語言。

請注意我是說態度和語言，你和我都可以來到神的面前用類似的語言，但若沒有詩人所感受到的那種神聖的絕望，反倒會顯得虛假和空洞，甚至是魯莽無禮。由於詩人意識到周邊屬靈力量正在退減，令他感到神是睡著了，需要被喚醒，詩人對周遭衰敗的情況是那麼關切，以致他就算使用這麼強烈的語言也變成恰當和蒙應允。當我們與詩人對周圍道德和靈性的衰敗有同樣深刻的感受時，我們也可以像詩人一樣用如此強烈的話語來表達。不過，除非我們亦預備仿傚詩人那股對屬靈關注的深刻之情，否則便不能模仿詩人的說話。

A third characteristic of "revival praying" is boldness or directness. Here again I have been struck, as I have read and researched this subject, by the daring and direct language used by God's people when pleading with Him to send revival.

We can see something of this in the verses that are before us today. The psalmist appears to be accusing God of sleeping on the job. Listen to the graphic language used in the Moffatt translation of this passage: "Bestir thyself, Eternal one! Why sleep? Awaken! ah discard us not for ever! Why art thou hiding thy face, forgetful of our woe and our distress? For our soul is bowed to the dust." This language of the psalmist is forceful and direct but it is the kind of attitude and language that prevails with God.

Notice I say attitude as well as language. You and I can come before God and use similar language but if it is not accompanied by the kind of holy desperation that the psalmist felt, then it will sound false and hollow - even impertinent. Such was the spiritual decline around him that it looked to the psalmist as if God was asleep and needing arousing. His deep concern over the declining conditions with which he was surrounded made his language appropriate and permissible. When we feel as strongly about the moral and spiritual bankruptcy that surround us as the psalmist felt in his day, then we can speak as strongly as he did. We dare not copy the words unless we are also prepared to copy the psalmist's deep spiritual concern.