I was saying one of Bahá’u’lláh’s long Fast Prayers (Baha’i Prayers, p. 236-244) this morning, and I was struck by two things:  each paragraph of the prayer tells us who God is; and then what our prayer is to him.  Once I stripped away the former, I was able to see what I was actually [...]

I was saying one of Bahá’u'lláh’s long Fast Prayers (Baha’i Prayers, p. 236-244) this morning, and I was struck by two things:  each paragraph of the prayer tells us who God is; and then what our prayer is to him.  Once I stripped away the former, I was able to see what I was actually asking for in this prayer.  I wanted to share that with you.

We’re beseeching God:

To cast me not away from the gate of the city of Thy presence

Wow!  What would it be like to finally have reached the Heavenly gates and to be rejected by God!  I can’t imagine how awful that would be!  If the purpose of our lives (through all the worlds of God) is to get closer to Him, I can’t even imagine finally reaching Him and being turned away.

It’s happened before!  Think of all the Bahá’ís who walked from Iran to ‘Akká to be turned back by the authorities near the prison; or all the early believers who wanted to see Bahá’u'lláh (Ahmad comes to mind – he was on his way to visit Bahá’u'lláh and was intercepted by a messenger with the Tablet of Ahmad, which asked him to go back and teach).

“After the declaration of Bahá’u'lláh and His further exiles to Constantinople and Adrianople, Ahmad remained in Baghdad. He eventually decided to join his Lord and set out for Adrianople. Upon arriving in Constantinople, he was presented with a letter from the Blessed Beauty which exhorted him to surrender his will to the will of God, to be steadfast and to persevere in the face of opposition. This letter is now known as the Tablet of Ahmad.  Returning to Persia, he travelled extensively as a teacher of the Cause.”   http://bahai-library.com/yancy_tablet_ahmad

So I’m happy to beseech God that it never happens to me!  I don’t know if I’d be strong enough to handle that rejection!

To disappoint not the hopes I have set on the manifestations of Thy grace amidst Thy creatures

Bahá’u'lláh tells us:  “The whole duty of man in this Day is to attain that share of the flood of grace which God poureth forth for him”.  (Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 8)  So we’ve come to expect that the grace is there for us, and we look for evidences of it every day.  If it’s our duty to attain it, and we don’t catch our portion each day, the fault lies with us and not with God.  So here we are beseeching God to not disappoint us, through our own negligence.

To draw me ever nearer to the threshold of Thy door

Nearness to God is our ultimate purpose.  He’s our Companion, and Best Lover, and Divine Physician, and Healer.  Just His name provides us with all the healing we could ever ask for.  I don’t know about you, but I tend to forget all that!  I get caught up in the petty affairs of my day to day life and hurts and disappointments, forgetting to turn to the One person who understands and can “kiss it and make it all better”.   I heard Gord Naylor (a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada) give a talk once, and at the end, he said something like:  if you pray for paradise, God will give you that, but if you pray for nearness to God, you won’t need paradise!  Yes, I beseech Thee to draw me ever nearer!  And to not forget you’re there and that I can call on You 24/7!

To suffer me not to be far removed from the shadow of Thy mercy and the canopy of Thy bounty.

I am a sinner.  We are all sinners.  We need God’s mercy!  Imagine having to face our Maker at the hour of our death, knowing all the ways we’ve let Him down.  Yes, I beseech Him to keep me under the shadow of His mercy!

To attract me by the fragrance of Thy raiment

I forget to draw nearer to God, so being attracted by His fragrences is a great idea!  This morning I was up early for the Fast, rushing to prepare my breakfast so that I had time to eat it before sunrise, when my cat kept circling around my feet, tripping me up, wanting me to pick her up and cuddle with her.  After several minutes of ignoring her, I picked her up and we had the love-fest she was looking for.  As I was thinking about how neurotic she was, and how demanding of my love, I smelled her fur, drinking her scent deep into my lungs.  What occurred to me was that she was trying to give me unconditional love, not the other way round.  She was trying to remind me of God’s presence in my life.  She was trying to remind me to slow down, to appreciate the moment, and why I was doing the Fast in the first place.  It wasn’t meant to be a race against the clock, but a returning to the presence of God.  Yes, I believe God was using my cat to attract me in my heedlessness.  I beseech Thee to attract me!

To make me drink of the choice wine of Thine utterance.

Wow, this one really jumped out for me this morning.  I remembered that old saying “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”.  Here we are beseeching God to “make us drink”.  Wow!  He can do that?  Cool!

Please God, let me not just read your Writings lifelessly, but let me drink from them, taking them into every pore of my being, letting them be the life-giving water that sustains me every single day.  And please God, don’t let me forget to read the Writings every morning and eve!

To raise me up to serve Thy Cause that I shall not fall back, nor be hindered by the suggestions of them who have caviled at Thy signs and turned away from Thy face.

I know that God wants me to be of service, and sometimes I used to force myself to doing things that go against every fiber of my being.  I’m not sure that’s what God wants anymore.  I think He wants us to allow Him to direct our movement and our stillness; rather than being up to me to decide what has to be done.  It’s a much gentler way of being, and generates a lot more smiles of contentment when He provides the opportunities which I am able to respond to, easily and effortlessly.  So I’m beseeching God to keep raising me up to serve.

It’s so easy to let the tumult of those who don’t believe in God to deter me from doing the right thing – from those who suggest the fast is just a suggestion; to those who tell me it’s OK to lie to the government (by working under the table) because the system is corrupt anyway and that it’s OK because “everybody does it.”  I beseech God to not hinder my progress by listening to any voice but His!

To enable me to gaze on the Daystar of Thy Beauty

This reminds me of the “Best Lover” analogy again.  When you’re in love you want to gaze forever into your lover’s eyes.  It’s hard to imagine doing that with an invisible Lover, but that is just what God is calling on us to do.  I think that’s why He gives us such rich poetic language all through the Writings, but especially in this prayer, to help bring out gaze back to the only One of any importance to our existence.  I beseech Thee to remember to turn to Thee first, before turning anywhere else for solace and comfort.

To supply me with the wine of Thine utterance.

He’s certainly done that through all of His Writings and His laws and injunctions, which He tells us are His “Choice Wine”.  So it’s there for anyone with “eyes to see”.  I beseech Thee to keep my eyes open, so that I can dip into Your supply room!

To graciously aid me to do what Thy will hath desired and Thy purpose hath manifested.

Life just works better when I take my orders from God and not from anyone else.  Recently when I was feeling hard done by at work; feeling overworked and underpaid, and resentful of a task that had been sent my way, I realized that my money doesn’t come from my job.  It comes from God!  My job is to be of service to my employer.  His job is to give me enough money to satisfy my needs.  I beseech Thee to enable me to do Thy Will; to stay attentive to Your Will in the midst of the tumult of so many people pulling at me for my attention.

To grant that I may die to all that I possess and live to whatsoever belongeth unto Thee.

A bumper sticker I saw recently comes to my mind.  It said:  “He who dies with the most toys, wins”.  This is the attitude of many people mired in materialism.  But we can’t take any of it with us when we die.  We can only take what we make of our souls.  So much of my time and attention is taken up by my material wants – will I make enough money this month to buy that “thing?”  What do I need to buy next to make my life easier or to be like everyone else?  How can I do this job I need to do without this “thing”?  It’s all coming from my lower nature.  It keeps me trapped in the prison of self, and takes me away from achieving the purpose of my existence, which is to know and worship God.  I beseech Thee to enable me to let go of all attachment to material things; to trust that You will give me everything I need, when I need it and not a minute before, so that I can focus on Your Will for me today.

To aid me to remember Thee amongst Thy creatures and to extol Thee amidst Thy people

We all need to teach the Faith.  It won’t grow and spread and God’s purpose in sending a new Manifestation won’t be achieved unless we do.  The peace we long for in the world will be delayed if we don’t teach.  I get so caught up in my life that I often forget, so I’m beseeching Thee to aid me to remember!

To remove me far from whatsoever Thy will abhorreth

Take backbiting, for example!  It’s all around me.  I can’t walk into my apartment building without hearing it, and it causes me physical pain.  Please remove me far from it, so I can’t get caught up in it!

To draw me nigh unto the station wherein He Who is the Dayspring of Thy signs hath shone forth.

We know there are different stations in the next world, and that the highest station is Nearness to God.  Everything we do in this world will take me closer or further away.  It reminds me a little of the game “Snakes and Ladders” which I played as a child.  If I land on a ladder, I can climb up to the next station.  If I land on a snake, I slide all the way down it’s back, several levels lower.  I may be showing my age – there are probably many more sophisticated versions of video games and computer simulations known by those of a younger generation, but hopefully you get my point!  I beseech Thee to let me climb the ladders and avoid the snakes!

To make known unto me what lay hid in the treasuries of Thy knowledge and concealed within the repositories of Thy wisdom.

Don’t we all want to know what’s in Pandora’s Box?  Don’t we all want to know what comes next?  I beseech Thee to let me know what’s in store for me, and to keep my eyes focused on what I need to partake of Your Treasures.

To number me with such as have attained unto that which Thou hast sent down in Thy Book and manifested through Thy will.

I imagine a pregnant woman, longing to meet her child.  The first thing she does after it’s born, is count the fingers and toes and to make sure it’s perfect.  The first thing the doctor does is test it on an “Apgar” scale, to make sure it’s perfect.  We have very little effect on the condition of the baby at birth.  Much of it is determined by God’s Will.  In this world though, we seal our fate in the next world by the choices we make here.  God is watching, wanting to give us His Heavenly Treasure.  He wants to number us among His Perfect Creations.  I beseech Thee, to guide my choices towards this end.

To write down for me with Thy most exalted Pen what Thou hast written down for Thy trusted ones and Thy chosen ones.

My time in this world has been largely disappointing, and I desperately long for the next world to be better.  I beseech God to write this down for me; to grant me my most cherished desire!

To write down for everyone who hath turned unto Thee, and observed the fast prescribed by Thee, the recompense decreed for such as speak not except by Thy leave, and who forsook all that they possessed in Thy path and for love of Thee.

It sounds like there are bounties for three kinds of people being talked about here:

• Those who observe the Fast
• Those who speak only what God prompts them to speak
• Those who detach themselves from everything in their love for God

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be numbered in all of these categories?  I beseech thee!

To cancel the trespasses of those who have held fast to Thy laws, and have observed what Thou hast prescribed unto them in Thy Book.

Finally we’re asking Him to cancel all of our sins; all of the ways we’ve fallen short in our duty, and we can do this, knowing that we have held up our part of the bargain by keeping the Fast.   Please God!  I beseech Thee!

Yá Bahá’u’l-Abhá!

Here’s a great story about the power of prayer, taken from John Ortberg’s book:  “If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat” (p. 91-93).  I thought it was too good not to share. One of my favorite adventures in prayer involves Doug Coe, who has a ministry in [...]

Here’s a great story about the power of prayer, taken from John Ortberg’s book:  “If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat” (p. 91-93).  I thought it was too good not to share.

One of my favorite adventures in prayer involves Doug Coe, who has a ministry in Washington, D.C., that mostly involves people in politics and statecraft. Doug because acquainted with Bob, an insurance salesman who was completely unconnected with any government circles. Bob became a Christian and began to meet with Doug to learn about his new faith.

One day, Bob came in all excited about a statement in the Bible where Jesus says, “Ask whatever you will in my name, and you shall receive it.”

“Is that really true?” Bob demanded.

Doug explained, “Well, it’s not a blank check. You have to take it in context of the teachings of the whole Scripture on prayer. But yes—it really is true. Jesus really does answer prayer.”

“Great!” Bob said. “Then I gotta start praying for something. I think I’ll pray for Africa.”

“That’s kind of a broad target. Why don’t you narrow it down to one country?” Doug advised.

“All right. I’ll pray for Kenya.”

“Do you know anyone in Kenya?” Doug asked.

“No.”

“Ever been to Kenya?”

“No.”   Bob just wanted to pray for Kenya.  So Doug made an unusual arrangement. He challenged Bob to pray every day for six months for Kenya. If Bob would do that and nothing extraordinary happened, Doug would pay him five hundred dollars. But if something remarkable did happen, Bob would pay Doug five hundred dollars. And if Bob did not pray every day, the whole deal was off. It was a pretty unusual prayer program, but then Doug is a creative guy.

Bob began to pray, and for a long while nothing happened. Then one night he was at a dinner in Washington. The people around the table explained what they did for a living. One woman said she helped run an orphanage in Kenya—the largest of its kind.  Bob saw five hundred dollars suddenly sprout wings and begin to fly away. But he could not keep quiet. Bob roared to life. He had not said much up to this point, and now he pounded her relentlessly with question after question.

“You’re obviously very interested in my country,” the woman said to Bob, overwhelmed by his sudden barrage of questions. “You’ve been to Kenya before?”

“No,”

“You know someone in Kenya?”

“No.”

“Then how do you happen to be so curious?”

“Well, someone is kind of paying me five hundred dollars to pray…”

She asked Bob if he would like to come visit Kenya and tour the orphanage. Bob was so eager to go, he would have left that very night if he could.  When Bob arrived in Kenya, he was appalled by the poverty and the lack of basic health care. Upon returning to Washington, he couldn’t get this place out of his mind. He began to write to large pharmaceutical companies, describing to them the vast need he had seen. He reminded them that every year they would throw away large amounts of medical supplies that went unsold.

“Why not send them to this place in Kenya?” he asked.   And some of them did. This orphanage received more than a million dollars’ worth of medical supplies.

The woman called Bob up and said, “Bob, this is amazing! We’ve had the most phenomenal gifts because of the letters you wrote. We would like to fly you back over and have a big party. Will you come?”

So Bob flew back to Kenya. While he was there, the president of Kenya came to the celebration, because it was the largest orphanage in the country, and offered to take Bob on a tour of Nairobi, the Capital city. In the course of the tour they saw a prison. Bob asked about a group of prisoners there.

“They’re political prisoners,” he was told.

“That’s a bad idea,” Bob said brightly. “You should let them out.”

Bob finished the tour and flew back home. Sometime later, Bob received a phone call from the State Department of the United States government:

“Is this Bob?”

“Yes.”

“Were you recently in Kenya?”

“Yes.”

“Did you make any statements to the president about political prisoners?”

“Yes.”

“What did you say?”

“I told him he should let them out.”

The State Department official explained that the department had been working for years to get the release of these prisoners, to no avail. Normal diplomatic channels and political maneuverings had led to a dead end. But now the prisoners had been released, and the State Department was told it had been largely because of…Bob. So the government was calling to say thanks.

Several months later, the president of Kenya made a phone call to Bob. He was going to rearrange his government and select a new cabinet. Would Bob be willing to fly over and pray for him for three days while he worked on this very important task?

So Bob—who was not politically connected at all—boarded a plane once more and flew back to Kenya, where he prayed and asked God to give wisdom for the leader of the nation as he selected his government. All this happened because one man got out of the boat.

How about you? What are you praying for? Give it six months. I’ll make you a deal—I’ll give you the Bob Challenge. If you pray every day for six months and nothing extraordinary happens, write me. I won’t promise you five hundred dollars, but I will give you a refund on the cost of this book. To the contrary, if something extraordinary does happen, you have to write and tell me about it.

Walking on the water is not about some great thing you will do. In fact, by yourself you can do nothing of lasting value. It is about what God longs to do with you by his power and grace. But first you have to get your feet wet.

Now that I’ve been inspired by this story,  I will be praying for my compilation on Violence and Abuse, http://susangammage.com/Abuse-and-Violence-Reasons-and-Remedies and my blog to make a difference in the world.

What will you be praying for?  To post your comments, click on the title (above), then scroll down to the end of the page.

by Susan Gammage We must not be content with simply following a certain course because we find our fathers pursued that course. It is the duty of everyone to investigate reality, and investigation of reality by another will not do for us. In the movie “Fiddler on the Roof”, we hear clearly the longing for [...]

by Susan Gammage

We must not be content with simply following a certain course because we find our fathers pursued that course. It is the duty of everyone to investigate reality, and investigation of reality by another will not do for us.

In the movie “Fiddler on the Roof”, we hear clearly the longing for the security of tradition, and the prison it locks us into.

Who, day and night, must scramble for a living,
Feed a wife and children, say his daily prayers?
And who has the right, as master of the house,
To have the final word at home?

The Papa, the Papa! Tradition.
The Papa, the Papa! Tradition.

[GOLDE & MAMAS]
Who must know the way to make a proper home,
A quiet home, a kosher home?
Who must raise the family and run the home,
So Papa’s free to read the holy books?

The Mama, the Mama! Tradition!
The Mama, the Mama! Tradition!

[SONS]
At three, I started Hebrew school. At ten, I learned a trade.
I hear they’ve picked a bride for me. I hope she’s pretty.

The son, the son! Tradition!
The son, the son! Tradition!

[DAUGHTERS]
And who does Mama teach to mend and tend and fix,
Preparing me to marry whoever Papa picks?

The daughter, the daughter! Tradition!
The daughter, the daughter! Tradition!

As teens we chafe against it.  If we’ve been abused, we determine to do the opposite of what we’ve been taught, but in the end, many of us sink back into what we know.  It takes a lot of effort to truly break the chains of what we’ve been taught.  Sometimes they’re so enmeshed we think we’re thinking for ourselves, when in reality we’re just repeating what our culture teaches.

So if it’s “our duty to investigate reality”, without following what’s familiar and without looking to see how our neighbor is living, how then can we find our way?

I think we need to look to our hearts to give us the answer.  It’s the place where God resides and He certainly knows what’s best for us.  But it’s not always easy to hear our hearts, especially if it’s veiled with natural impurities such as: anger, lust, worldliness, pride, lying, hypocrisy, fraud, self-love, etc.

The first step is to ask God to take these impurities, and transmute them into something else – in this case, focus, direction, certainty, faith and trust.

The second step is to use the 5 Steps of Prayer:

1st Step: Pray and meditate about it. Use the prayers of the Manifesta¬tions as they have the greatest power. Then remain in the silence of contemplation for a few minutes.

Many of us fail to wait and listen for God’s answer, after we say our prayers, forgetting that prayer is a 2-way conversation.  It’s like consulting with someone, where you lay out your problem before them and then go home, without waiting to hear their perspective or guidance.  We’ll never know how to change our lives if we don’t wait and listen for the answer.

Shoghi Effendi tells a story about building the gardens around the shrine of the Báb.  He said he didn’t have a clue what the end product would look like.  He would pray, get direction, act on it and then repeat the process the next day.  This is what we need to do too, if we want to forge a life different from our forefathers.

2nd Step: Arrive at a decision and hold this. This decision is usually born during the contemplation. It may seem almost impossible of ac¬complishment but if it seems to be as answer to a prayer or a way of solving the problem, then immediately take the next step.

It’s easy to make a decision but much harder to hold on to it.  Our hearts give us an answer and our minds second guess it.  The minute we move from our hearts to our minds, we can be sure we’re destined to continue to do things the same way we’ve always done them.   We know that God has our best interests at heart, so to let our minds disregard the answers we’re given is truly to turn away from God in pride, thinking we know better than He does.

3rd Step:  Have determination to carry the decision through. Many fail here. The decision, budding into determination, is blighted and in¬stead becomes a wish or a vague longing. When determination is born, immediately take the next step.

Determination is the virtue which will help you carry your decision through.  With determination comes the courage to act and the focus to take the steps necessary to move us forward.  So if we’re wavering here, we can give our uncertainty to God and ask Him to transmute it to determination.  We don’t have to do this alone.  God wants us to succeed!

4th Step: Have faith and confidence that the power will flow through you, the right way will appear, the door will open, the right thought, the right message, the right principle, or the right book will be given to you. Have confidence and the right thing will come to your need. Then, as you rise from prayer, take at once the 5th step.

Sometimes we take a step and then feel a little foolish.  Nothing seems to have changed.  You can’t see how this action will lead to the result you’ve been praying for.  This is where faith and confidence will help.  You know you’ve done what God suggested, so you can leave it up to Him to give you what you need next.  Watch for it!  It feels like magic when the right things appear!

5th Step: Act as though it had all been answered. Then act with tireless, ceaseless energy. And as you act, you, yourself, will become a mag¬net, which will attract more power to your being, until you become an unobstructed channel for the Divine power to flow through you.

I read a story once of a woman who was going on pilgrimage.  She had a date and the desire to go, but she didn’t have the money or the ticket.  She used this process, and as the days grew closer to her deadline, she made arrangements for someone to take care of her cat.  She packed her suitcase, watered her plants, arranged for the mail to be taken care of, and cancelled the newspaper delivery.  People told her she was crazy!  But she continued to take the steps in faith, trusting that the ticket would appear and just hours before she was to leave, it did, and she was able to go.  That’s the level of faith and action we’re called to do.

Many pray but do not remain for the last half of the first step. Some who meditate arrive at a decision, but fail to hold it. Few have the determination to carry the decision through, still fewer have the confidence that the right thing will come to their need.

But how many remember to act as though it had all been answered? How true are these words “Greater than the prayer is the spirit in which it is uttered” and greater than the way it is uttered is the spirit in which it is carried out.  (Shoghi Effendi, Remembrance of God, pp.  207-208).

Click here to see more quotes like these

by Susan Gammage, Baha’i Life Coach Is your daily routine so busy and full of activities that it’s causing you stress and agitation?  We’ve all heard of the health risks associated with too much stress, but how can you reduce that stress and find peace in your life?  Thankfully, the Bahá’í Faith requires us to [...]

by Susan Gammage, Baha'i Life Coach

Is your daily routine so busy and full of activities that it’s causing you stress and agitation?  We’ve all heard of the health risks associated with too much stress, but how can you reduce that stress and find peace in your life?  Thankfully, the Bahá’í Faith requires us to take time everyday, for the gift of prayer and meditation.

There are many benefits to meditation and prayer:

1. Stress reduction. Both meditation and prayer are wonderful for reducing stress. You’ll find that it helps you learn how to get away from the worries of life to a more peaceful state of mind.

• Just 15 minutes a day can make a huge difference by bringing peace and relaxation to your body and mind. A few minutes each day isn’t much, considering that the positive effects will last hours.  If we say a couple of prayers in the morning and at night, plus the short obligatory prayer and 95 Alláh-u-Abhás mid-day, we will live in a state of prayer all day, and it won’t take more than 15 minutes total.

Supplication to God at morn and eve is conducive to the joy of hearts.  (Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, vol. 1, p. 186)

2. Improved health. Many studies have proven that prayer and meditation foster vibrant health. Usually these health benefits, such as lower blood pressure and decreased risk of heart disease, occur because of the lowered stress levels.

• Physical problems are often a symptom of turmoil on the inside and prayer and meditation can help to overcome that turmoil.

3. Better control over your thoughts. Having negative thoughts from time to time is part of being human. Many people who are stressed don’t believe they’re able to control what they think. The stress mounts, tempers flair, and before long arguments ensue.

However, by bringing prayer and meditation into your life, it’s possible to control your thoughts and stop negative thinking as soon as it happens. This helps keep your mind at peace.

4. Happiness. Both peace of mind and happiness are true benefits of meditation and prayer. Everyone is seeking happiness in their lives, and when you’re able to find peace of mind through prayer and meditation, you’re also welcoming happiness into your life.

By spending some time in personal reflection, you’ll gain a greater wisdom of your mission in this life, and you’ll be better able to appreciate all that you’ve been given, both good and bad. Meditation and prayer help banish those negative thoughts that threaten your peace of mind.

As the Bahá’í Writings teach us:

At that hour will the mystic Herald, bearing the joyful tidings of the Sprit, shine forth from the city of God resplendent as the morn, and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will awaken the heart, the soul, and the spirit from the slumber of negligence.  Then will the manifold favours and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new life upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind.  He will contemplate the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul.  Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute certitude.  He will discover in all things the mysteries of divine Revelation and the evidences of an everlasting manifestation.   (Bahá’u’lláh, Kitáb-I-Iqán  p. 125-6)

5. Better concentration. As you pray and meditate, you welcome peace and tranquility into your mind, which then affects how you live your life. When you alleviate the stresses in your life, you’re better able to concentrate on the things that are important, such as family or work.

• Continued prayer and meditation will help you expand your focus to multiple areas of your life.

Although prayer and meditation can provide peace in your life, it can be hard to make the time at first, but it’s easier than you think. Simply find a quiet place in your home and allow yourself to relax and feel at peace for 10-15 minutes. You deserve those 15 minutes of peace each day!

Should a person recite but a single verse from the Holy Writings in a state of joy and radiance, this would be better for him than reciting wearily all the Scriptures of God . . .  Recite ye the verses of God in such measure that ye be not overtaken with fatigue or boredom.  Burden not your souls so as to cause exhaustion and weigh them down, but rather endeavour to lighten them, that they may soar on the wings of revealed Verses unto the dawning-place of His signs.  This is conducive to nearer access unto God, were ye to comprehend.  (Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Prayer, Meditation and a Devotional Attitude, p. 3)

While there are plenty of positive benefits of prayer and meditation, it may take practice and perseverance to achieve them. Over time you’ll begin to experience this wonderful gift in your own life and you’ll be thankful that you did!

What have you noticed when you pray and meditate?  Post your comments here:

The War in Afganistan got personal when a son of a Bahai friend of mine went over there.  Please pray for his protection and for any other soldiers you know, as you watch this video, made by my good friend Penny Filias. To watch the video, please click here:    pray4allies O GOD, my God! [...]

The War in Afganistan got personal when a son of a Bahai friend of mine went over there.  Please pray for his protection and for any other soldiers you know, as you watch this video, made by my good friend Penny Filias.

To watch the video, please click here:    pray4allies

O GOD, my God! Thou seest how black darkness is enshrouding all regions, how all countries are burning with the flame of dissension, and the fire of war and carnage is blazing throughout the East and the West.  Blood is flowing, corpses bestrew the ground, and severed heads are fallen on the dust of the battlefield.

O Lord! Have pity on these ignorant ones and look upon them with the eye of forgiveness and pardon. Extinguish this fire, so that these dense clouds which obscure the horizon may be scattered, the Sun of Reality shine forth with the rays of conciliation, this intense gloom be dispelled and the resplendent light of peace shed its radiance upon all countries.

O Lord! Draw up the people from the abyss of the ocean of hatred and enmity, and deliver them from this impenetrable darkness. Unite their hearts, and brighten their eyes with the light of peace and reconciliation. Deliver them from the depths of war and bloodshed, and free them from the darkness of error. Remove the veil from their eyes, and enlighten their hearts with the light of guidance. Treat them with Thy tender mercy and compassion, and deal not with them according to Thy justice and wrath which cause the limbs of the mighty to quake.

O Lord! Wars have persisted. Distress and anxiety have waxed great and every flourishing region is laid waste.

O Lord! Hearts are heavy, and souls are in anguish. Have mercy on these poor souls and do not leave them to the excesses of their own desires.

O Lord! Make manifest in Thy lands humble and submissive souls, their faces illumined with the rays of guidance, severed from the world, extolling Thy Name, uttering Thy praise, and diffusing the fragrance of Thy holiness amongst mankind.

O Lord! Strengthen their backs, gird up their loins, and enrapture their hearts with the most mighty signs of Thy love.

O Lord! Verily, they are weak, and Thou art the Powerful and the Mighty; they are impotent, and Thou art the Helper and the Merciful.

O Lord! The ocean of rebellion is surging, and these tempests will not be stilled save through Thy boundless grace which hath embraced all regions.

O Lord! Verily, the people are in the abyss of passion, and naught can save them but Thine infinite bounties.

O Lord! Dispel the darkness of these corrupt desires, and illumine the hearts with the lamp of Thy love through which all countries will erelong be enlightened. Confirm, moreover, Thy loved ones, those who, leaving their homelands, their families and their children, have, for the love of Thy Beauty, traveled to foreign countries to diffuse Thy fragrances and promulgate Thy teachings. Be Thou their companion in their loneliness, their helper in a strange land, the remover of their sorrows, their comforter in calamity. Be Thou a refreshing draught for their thirst, a healing medicine for their ills and a balm for the burning ardor of their hearts.

Verily, Thou art the Most Generous, the Lord of grace abounding, and, verily, Thou art the Compassionate and the Merciful.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 56)