"The pen is groaning, and the ink bewaileth its plight, and the tablet is awestruck at this cry."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2024

Pure and sanctified art Thou, O my God! How can the pen move and the ink flow after the breezes of loving-kindness have ceased, and the signs of bounty have vanished, when the sun of abasement hath risen, and the swords of calamity are drawn, when the heavens of sorrow have been upraised, and the darts of affliction and the lances of vengeance have rained from the clouds of power — in such wise that the signs of joy have departed from all hearts, and the tokens of gladness have been erased from every horizon, the gates of hope have been shut, the mercy of the supernal breeze hath ceased to waft over the rose-garden of faithfulness, and the whirlwind of extinction hath struck the tree of existence. The pen is groaning, and the ink bewaileth its plight, and the tablet is awestruck at this cry. The mind is in turmoil from the taste of this pain and sorrow, and the divine Nightingale calleth: “Alas! Alas! for all that hath been made to appear.” And this, O my God, is from naught but Thy hidden bounties.

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/961798779

" ... ease the pangs of labour for this handmaiden and guard her therefrom, and to free her from this pain and change it into comfort and relief."

 

He is the Ever-Abiding, the Almighty, the Most High.

Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! I implore Thee by this Name that hath been hemmed in by tribulations on every side and assailed by afflictions from every direction, in such wise that He findeth none to help Him on Thine earth or to succour Him in Thy dominion, to ease the pangs of labour for this handmaiden and guard her therefrom, and to free her from this pain and change it into comfort and relief. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest, and able to ordain what Thou pleasest. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Incomparable, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/248565991

“O my Lord, leave me not childless, even though there is no better heir than Thyself.”

 

© Chuck Egerton 2024

Praise be to Thee, O my God, that Thou didst graciously remember me through Thy Most Exalted Pen, at a time when Thou wert held in the Most Great Prison by reason of that which the hands of such enemies as had turned away from Thee and from Thy most resplendent signs had wrought. O my Lord! I have turned unto Thee and have set my face towards Thy Horizon. I beseech Thee, by the wrongs which He Who is the Dayspring of Thy signs and the Dawning-Place of Thy clear tokens hath suffered, to ordain for me what will profit me in every world of Thy worlds. Thou, verily, knowest me better than I know myself. Thou art the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

I entreat Thee, moreover, O Lord of all being and Possessor of all things visible and invisible, to bestow upon me a righteous child who may make mention of Thee on Thine earth and sing Thy praise throughout Thy realms; this, notwithstanding that Thou hast, with this Tablet, made me rich enough to dispense with every fruit, trace, or mention. I close my supplication, at this moment, with that which one of Thy chosen ones hath aforetime spoken: “O my Lord, leave me not childless, even though there is no better heir than Thyself.”¹

—Bahá’u’lláh

1 Qur’án 21:89.

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/798565991

"Do Thou ordain for me and for her mother, as well as for her, the good of this world and of the next."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2024

O God, my God! I yield Thee thanks for having guided me unto Thy straight Path and enabled me to recognize Thee and turn unto Thee, and for having made known unto me the oneness of Thine Essence and the sanctity of Thy Being. I implore Thee, by them Who are the Daysprings of Thy Cause, the Dawning-Places of Thy grace, and the Repositories of Thy knowledge and wisdom, to bless the gift which Thou hast bestowed upon me through Thy bounty and favour. Do Thou ordain for me and for her mother, as well as for her, the good of this world and of the next. Thou art, verily, the Lord of all being, Who hearest and art ready to answer.¹

—Bahá’u’lláh

1 Revealed for the recipient on the occasion of the birth of his daughter.

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/542155991

"I ask Thee by Thy Name, which Thou hast made the King of all names, to protect me by Thy power and Thine omnipotence from all calamity ..."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2024

In the name of God, the Forgiver!

Although this wretched state in which I am, O my God, maketh me deserving of Thy wrath and punishment, yet it beseemeth Thy good-pleasure and Thy bounties to confer Thy forgiveness on Thy servants and to bestow Thy good favour upon them. I ask Thee by Thy Name, which Thou hast made the King of all names, to protect me by Thy power and Thine omnipotence from all calamity and all that is repugnant to Thee, and from all that is contrary to Thy will. Thou art supreme over all things.

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/110218643

“Show Thyself to me”

 

St. Croix, photo by Trina G.

O my Lord, my Master, and the Goal of my Desire! I have heard that Thou hast declared this to be a Day whereon if anyone, with complete sincerity, were to ask but once, “Show Thyself to me”, then from the heaven of Divine Utterance he would hear: “Look, and thou shalt behold Me!” From this blessed and exalted utterance the station of this Day is made clear and evident.

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/742371889

" ...Gather them then together upon the shore of Thy munificence and bounty, and sever them from all but Thee so that they may stand in fear of no one, nor be overawed by any soul. ..."

 

© Chuck Egerton 2024

I ask Thee then, O my God, by the lights of Thy divine unity, and the hidden mysteries of Thine ancient and everlasting Being, to preserve Thy loved ones after I am gone, lest their feet should slip upon Thy path. Gather them then together upon the shore of Thy munificence and bounty, and sever them from all but Thee so that they may stand in fear of no one, nor be overawed by any soul. Open then their eyes, O my God, through the wondrous evidences of Thy might and the sovereign potency of Thy dominion, in order that they may see all things held within Thy grasp, and all matters contained within the palm of Thine omnipotence. I swear by Thy beauty, O Thou my hope, that shouldst Thou cause them to ascend to this most sublime and all-highest station, they would tell of Thee continually, and would so completely return unto Thee that naught could cause them any perturbation, though all who are in heaven and on earth should rise up unitedly against them.

I ask Thee then, O my God, by Thy light which hath illuminated all beings, and by Thy glory which hath irradiated the whole of creation, to remember Thy servant who hath been designated “Jím” in the realms of Thine eternity and the canopy of Thy grandeur. Cause him then, O my God, to hearken unto the holy melodies of Thy tender mercy, that they may draw him away from himself and from whatsoever is not of Thee, and attract him unto the dawning splendours of Thy love and adoration. Potent art Thou to accomplish this through Thy transcendent might.

—Bahá’u’lláh

(Additional Prayers Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh)
www.bahai.org/r/534027782