我們昨天提到「復興禱告」其中一個特點是「充滿熱誠」的，今天我們繼續思想這一點。我想向你分享熱誠禱告的其中一個例子，是源自一個發生在十九世紀中葉紐約大復興的故事。

1857年7月1日，有一位被形容為「溫和及熱誠的商人」耶利米．蘭菲爾（Jeremiah Lanphier），接受了委任，成為在紐約的荷蘭改革教會的宣教士。蘭菲爾決定舉行中午禱告會，就發派了傳單出去邀請其他人前來參加這個逢週三午間舉行的禱告會。第一次聚會有六人出席，第二個星期來了二十人，而第三個星期超過了四十人。於是，他決定每天都舉行禱告會，在數月之內，每天都有一萬人在城中聚集禱告，這樣便開始了紐約的靈性大覺醒，後來漫延到整個美國，更在1859年越洋傳到英國。這種熱烈的禱告，是在復興前開始的，往往是由某一地區的某一個人開始，然後擴展開去，據我所知沒有一次復興不是以這種形式展開的。

我們如何解釋這種異常的、在復興前緊抓神百姓的「禱告之靈」呢？是甚麼令他們盡可能出席更多的禱告會，並且願意懇切地向神傾心吐意？只有一個具說服力的解釋，那就是：這是一種超自然的現象。復興的心靈是超越心理學或社會學所能解釋的。有一句話說得很好：若我們在禱告中有偉大的意向，神必會多加注意。

We continue thinking about zealousness, which we said yesterday is one of the characteristics of "revival praying". An example of what I mean by zealous praying comes out of the story of the great revival which hit New York in the middle of the nineteenth century.

On 1st July 1857 a man by the name of Jeremiah Lanphier, described as "a quiet and zealous businessman", took up an appointment as city missionary in the Dutch Reformed Church in New York. He decided to hold a noon-day prayer meeting and distributed a few handbills inviting others to join him during the lunch hour every Wednesday. At the first meeting six people were present. The second week there were twenty and the third week over forty. It was then decided to hold the prayer meeting every day. Within months 10,000 people were gathering in the city every day to pray. Thus began in New York the spiritual awakening which eventually spread through America and in 1859 crossed the seas to the British Isles. Zealous praying - the kind that precedes revival - usually begins with one person in an area and then spreads to others. I know of no revival where this has not happened.

How can we explain this strange "spirit of prayer" that grips God's people prior to revival? What makes them want to be present at as many prayer meetings as they can get to and pour out their hearts in earnest supplication to God? There is only one convincing explanation - it is a supernatural phenomenon. The heart of revival is beyond psychological or sociological explanation. It has been well said that if in prayer we have great intention, then God gives greater attention.