"Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I implore..."
Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I implore Thee by the onrushing winds
of Thy grace, and by them Who are the Daysprings of Thy purpose and the
Dawning-Places of Thine inspiration, to send down upon me and upon all
that have sought Thy face that which beseemeth Thy generosity and
bountiful grace, and is worthy of Thy bestowals and favors. Poor and
desolate I am, O my Lord! Immerse me in the ocean of Thy wealth; athirst,
suffer me to drink from the living waters of Thy loving-kindness.
I beseech Thee, by Thine own Self and by Him Whom Thou hast appointed as
the Manifestation of Thine own Being and Thy discriminating Word unto all
that are in heaven and on earth, to gather together Thy servants beneath
the shade of the Tree of Thy gracious providence. Help them, then, to
partake of its fruits, to incline their ears to the rustling of its
leaves, and to the sweetness of the voice of the Bird that chanteth upon
its branches. Thou art, verily, the Help in Peril, the Inaccessible, the
Almighty, the Most Bountiful.
--Baha'u'llah
"O Thou merciful God! O Thou Who art..."
O Thou merciful God! O Thou Who art mighty and powerful! O Thou most kind
Father! These servants have gathered together, turning to Thee,
supplicating Thy threshold, desiring Thine endless bounties from Thy great
assurance. They have no purpose save Thy good pleasure. They have no
intention save service to the world of humanity.
O God! Make this assemblage radiant. Make the hearts merciful. Confer the
bounties of the Holy Spirit. Endow them with a power from heaven. Bless
them with heavenly minds. Increase their sincerity, so that with all
humility and contrition they may turn to Thy kingdom and be occupied with
service to the world of humanity. May each one become a radiant candle.
May each one become a brilliant star. May each one become beautiful in
color and redolent of fragrance in the kingdom of God.
O kind Father! Confer Thy blessings. Consider not our shortcomings.
Shelter us under Thy protection. Remember not our sins. Heal us with Thy
mercy. We are weak; Thou art mighty. We are poor; Thou art rich. We are
sick; Thou art the Physician. We are needy; Thou art most generous.
O God! Endow us with Thy providence. Thou art the Powerful. Thou art the
Giver. Thou art the Beneficent.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"O Thou kind Lord! These are Thy servants..."
O Thou kind Lord! These are Thy servants who have gathered in this
meeting, have turned unto Thy kingdom and are in need of Thy bestowal and
blessing. O Thou God! Manifest and make evident the signs of Thy oneness
which have been deposited in all the realities of life. Reveal and unfold
the virtues which Thou hast made latent and concealed in these human
realities.
O God! We are as plants, and Thy bounty is as the rain; refresh and cause
these plants to grow through Thy bestowal. We are Thy servants; free us
from the fetters of material existence. We are ignorant; make us wise. We
are dead; make us alive. We are material; endow us with spirit. We are
deprived; make us the intimates of Thy mysteries. We are needy; enrich and
bless us from Thy boundless treasury. O God! Resuscitate us; give us
sight; give us hearing; familiarize us with the mysteries of life, so that
the secrets of Thy kingdom may become revealed to us in this world of
existence and we may confess Thy oneness. Every bestowal emanates from
Thee; every benediction is Thine.
Thou art mighty. Thou art powerful. Thou art the Giver, and Thou art the
Ever-Bounteous.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"O my God! O my God! Verily, these servants..."
O my God! O my God! Verily, these servants are turning to Thee,
supplicating Thy kingdom of mercy. Verily, they are attracted by Thy
holiness and set aglow with the fire of Thy love, seeking confirmation
from Thy wondrous kingdom, and hoping for attainment in Thy heavenly
realm. Verily, they long for the descent of Thy bestowal, desiring
illumination from the Sun of Reality. O Lord! Make them radiant lamps,
merciful signs, fruitful trees and shining stars. May they come forth in
Thy service and be connected with Thee by the bonds and ties of Thy love,
longing for the lights of Thy favor. O Lord! Make them signs of guidance,
standards of Thine immortal kingdom, waves of the sea of Thy mercy,
mirrors of the light of Thy majesty.
Verily, Thou art the Generous. Verily, Thou art the Merciful. Verily, Thou
art the Precious, the Beloved.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"O Thou forgiving God! These servants are..."
O Thou forgiving God! These servants are turning to Thy kingdom and
seeking Thy grace and bounty. O God! Make their hearts good and pure in
order that they may become worthy of Thy love. Purify and sanctify the
spirits that the light of the Sun of Reality may shine upon them. Purify
and sanctify the eyes that they may perceive Thy light. Purify and
sanctify the ears in order that they may hear the call of Thy kingdom.
O Lord! Verily, we are weak, but Thou art mighty. Verily, we are poor, but
Thou art rich. We are the seekers, and Thou art the One sought. O Lord!
Have compassion upon us and forgive us; bestow upon us such capacity and
receptiveness that we may be worthy of Thy favors and become attracted to
Thy kingdom, that we may drink deep of the water of life, may be enkindled
by the fire of Thy love, and be resuscitated through the breaths of the
Holy Spirit in this radiant century.
O God, my God! Cast upon this gathering the glances of Thy
loving-kindness. Keep safe each and all in Thy custody and under Thy
protection. Send down upon these souls Thy heavenly blessings. Immerse
them in the ocean of Thy mercy, and quicken them through the breaths of
the Holy Spirit.
O Lord! Bestow Thy gracious aid and confirmation upon this just
government. This country lieth beneath the sheltering shadow of Thy
protection, and this people is in Thy service. O Lord! Confer upon them
Thy heavenly bounty and render the outpourings of Thy grace and favor
copious and abundant. Suffer this esteemed nation to be held in honor, and
enable it to be admitted into Thy kingdom.
Thou art the Powerful, the Omnipotent, the Merciful, and Thou art the
Generous, the Beneficent, the Lord of grace abounding.
--'Abdu'l-Baha
"O Divine Providence! This assemblage is composed..."
O Divine Providence! This assemblage is composed of Thy friends who are
attracted to Thy beauty and are set ablaze by the fire of Thy love. Turn
these souls into heavenly angels, resuscitate them through the breath of
Thy Holy Spirit, grant them eloquent tongues and resolute hearts, bestow
upon them heavenly power and merciful susceptibilities, cause them to
become the promulgators of the oneness of mankind and the cause of love
and concord in the world of humanity, so that the perilous darkness of
ignorant prejudice may vanish through the light of the Sun of Truth, this
dreary world may become illumined, this material realm may absorb the rays
of the world of spirit, these different colors may merge into one color
and the melody of praise may rise to the kingdom of Thy sanctity.
Verily, Thou art the Omnipotent, and the Almighty!
--'Abdu'l-Baha