在过去几天，我们探讨了「复兴祷告」的三个特点──热诚、持久和大胆坦率。现在让我们来思想「复兴祷告」的第四个特点。我把这特点称为「具有说服力」。由于这个词汇有时是作为强迫性的意思，所以我得为它下一个更准确的定义。我有一本辞典给它这样的定义：「一种说话的技巧，能够将自己的论点整理得令人信服，以致别人很难、甚至没有辩驳的余地。」这准确地总结了我在讨论「复兴祷告」的第四个特点时，心里所想要表达的意思。

当研究灵性复兴出现前的伟大祷告时，我发现与此有关的信徒，他们基于神在圣经里的话语，建立并发展自己的论点，我对这些论点感到相当惊讶。相信你有注意到在今天的诗篇里，诗人根据神在圣经中的应许，说：「求你照你的话将我救活」，来向神作灵性复苏的祈求。有些人把这称为「催促神实现祂的应许」──以神清楚的承诺来提醒神，并坚持要祂实现祂的应许。

司布真（Charles Spurgeon）在教导人们祷告时曾说：「在圣经中的每一个应许，都是神所写下的，我们可在祂面前作合理的请求，对神说：『请您成就您的应许吧。』创造者不会欺骗倚靠祂的真理的受造物；更重要的是，天父不会对自己的孩子违背诺言。」我们的属灵前辈已发现用祷告向守约的神重申所应许的承诺，必定能获得成功，而这亦是我们发现这真理的时候了。

Now we look at a fourth characteristic of "revival praying". which I am calling persuasiveness. As the word is sometimes used to convey the idea of being coercive, permit me to give it a more precise definition. One of my dictionaries defines it thus: "The art of being able to marshall one's arguments in a convincing way so as to leave the other person or persons little or no option." This exactly sums up what I have in mind when using the word in relation to "revival praying".

Here again, when examining the great prayers that precede revival, I have been struck by the way in which the men and women concerned build and develop their arguments on the basis of what God has said in His Word. You might have already noticed in the psalm before us today that the psalmist founds his plea for divine quickening on the fact that God has promised it in the Scriptures: "Revive me according to Your word." Some people call this "pleading the promises" - taking a clear promise which the Lord has made, reminding Him of it and insisting that He be held to it.

Charles Spurgeon, when teaching on prayer, used to say: "Every promise of Scripture is a writing of God which may be placed before Him in reasonable request, 'Do as Thou hast said.' The Creator will not cheat the creature who depends upon His truth; and far more, the heavenly Father will not break His own word to His own child." Our forefathers discovered that prayers which plead the clear promises of a covenant-keeping God are guaranteed success - it is time we discovered it too.