Bahá'í Prayers
Tests and Difficulties
O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine
to such as are nigh unto Thee, Whose
sword is the ardent desire of all them that love
Thee, Whose dart is the dearest wish of those
hearts that yearn after Thee, Whose decree is the
sole hope of them that have recognized Thy truth!
I implore Thee, by Thy divine sweetness and by
the splendors of the glory of Thy face, to send
down upon us from Thy retreats on high that
which will enable us to draw nigh unto Thee. Set,
then, our feet firm, O my God, in Thy Cause, and
enlighten our hearts with the effulgence of Thy
knowledge, and illumine our breasts with the
brightness of Thy names.
- Bahá'u'lláh
Glory be Thee, O my God! But for the tribulations
which are sustained in Thy path,
how could Thy true lovers be recognized; and
were it not for the trials which are borne for love
of Thee, how could the station of such as yearn for
Thee be revealed? Thy might beareth me witness!
The companions of all who adore Thee are the
tears they shed, and the comforters of such as seek
Thee are the groans they utter, and the food of
them who haste to meet Thee is the fragments of
their broken hearts.
How sweet to my taste is the bitterness of death
suffered in Thy path, and how precious in my estimation
are the shafts of Thine enemies when encountered
for the sake of the exaltation of Thy
word! Let me quaff in Thy Cause, O my God,
whatsoever Thou didst desire, and send down
upon me in Thy love all Thou didst ordain. By
Thy glory! I wish only what Thou wishest, and
cherish what Thou cherishest. In Thee have I, at
all times, placed my whole trust and confidence.
Raise up, I implore Thee, O my God, as helpers
to this Revelation such as shall be counted
worthy of Thy name and of Thy sovereignty, that
they may remember me among Thy creatures,
and hoist the ensigns of Thy victory in Thy land.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. No
God is there but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
- Bahá'u'lláh
Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Every
man of insight confesseth Thy sovereignty
and Thy dominion, and every discerning eye
perceiveth the greatness of Thy majesty and the
compelling power of Thy might. The winds of
tests are powerless to hold back them that enjoy
near access to Thee from setting their faces towards
the horizon of Thy glory, and the tempests
of trials must fail to draw away and hinder such as
are wholly devoted to Thy will from approaching
Thy court.
Methinks, the lamp of Thy love is burning in
their hearts, and the light of Thy tenderness is lit
within their breasts. Adversities are incapable of
estranging them from Thy Cause, and the vicissitudes
of fortune can never cause them to stray
from Thy pleasure.
I beseech Thee, O my God, by them and by the
sighs which their hearts utter in their separation
from Thee, to keep them safe from the mischief of
Thine adversaries, and to nourish their souls with
what Thou hast ordained for Thy loved ones on
whom shall come no fear and who shall not be put
to grief.
- Bahá'u'lláh
Thou knowest full well, O my God, that tribulations
have showered upon me from all
directions and that no one can dispel or transmute
them except Thee. I know of a certainty, by virtue
of my love for Thee, that Thou wilt never
cause tribulations to befall any soul unless Thou
desirest to exalt his station in Thy earthly life
with the bulwark of Thine all-compelling power,
that it may not become inclined toward the vanities
of this world. Indeed Thou art well aware
that under all conditions I would cherish the remembrance
of Thee far more than the ownership
of all that is in the heavens and on the earth.
Strengthen my heart, O my God, in Thine
obedience and in Thy love, and grant that I may be
clear of the entire company of Thine adversaries.
Verily, I swear by Thy glory that I yearn for
naught besides Thyself, nor do I desire anything
except Thy mercy, nor am I apprehensive of
aught save Thy justice. I beg Thee to forgive me
as well as those whom Thou lovest, howsoever
Thou pleasest. Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the
Bountiful.
Immensely exalted art Thou, O Lord of the
heavens and earth, above the praise of all men,
and may peace be upon Thy faithful servants and
glory be unto God, the Lord of all the worlds.
- The Báb