Dispel my grief by Thy bounty and Thy generosity, O God, my God, and banish mine anguish through Thy sovereignty and Thy might. Thou seest me, O my God, with my face set towards Thee at a time when sorrows have compassed me on every side. I implore Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of all being, and overshadowest all things visible and invisible, by Thy Name whereby Thou hast subdued the hearts and the souls of men, and by the billows of the Ocean of Thy mercy and the splendors of the Day-Star of Thy bounty, to number me with them whom nothing whatsoever hath deterred from setting their faces toward Thee, O Thou Lord of all names and Maker of the heavens! Thou beholdest, O my Lord, the things which have befallen me in Thy days. I entreat Thee, by Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thy names and the Dawning-Place of Thine attributes, to ordain for me what will enable me to arise to serve Thee and to extol Thy virtues. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful, Who art wont to answer the prayers of all men!
Grief
Grieve not, for I am thy true, thy unfailing comforter. Let neither despondency nor despair becloud the serenity of thy life or restrain thy freedom. These days shall pass away. We will, please God, in the Abhá Kingdom and beneath the sheltering shadow of the Blessed Beauty, forget all these our earthly cares and will find each one of these base calumnies amply compensated by His expressions of praise and favour. From the beginning of time sorrow and anxiety, regret and tribulation, have always been the lot of every loyal servant of God. Ponder this in thine heart and consider how very true it is. Wherefore, set thine heart on the tender mercies of the Ancient Beauty
and be thou filled with abiding joy and intense gladness....
He is God!
O faithful servant of the Ancient Beauty!
By the Most Great Name, thy life is sustained, O sufferer of tribulations
What grief then?
The waves of bounty, each like unto an ocean
The sea of oppression but a dewdrop
What grief then?
The onslaught of enemies, like unto the darkness of night
The confirmations of the Abhá Kingdom, the brightening break of morn
What grief then?
The revile of the foolish, like unto the buzzing of a fly
The voice of the Concourse on High, the call of the savior
What grief then?
The resistance of Ulama, like unto the futile struggle of a destitute mosquito
The Power of the Word of God, like unto an intensely potent whirlwind
What grief then?
The swooning of the covenant-breakers, like unto the movement of a faithless ant
The Power of the Covenant, the highest Sovereign Heaven
What grief then?
The base of nations, built on air
The keystone of the Cause of God, a fortified palace on the summit of the loftiest mount
What grief then?
May the glory of Bahá be upon thee!
O my God! O my God! Thou seest me drowned in the sea of ordeals, seized upon by the fire of infidelity, with tears flowing in the dark night rolling in the bed of sleeplessness, mine eyes expectant to see the dawn of the lights of Faith. And when I am anxious, as the fish whose bowels are inflamed upon the dust, I anticipate the manifestation of Thy bounties from all sides! O Lord! Surround the friends in other regions with Thy great bounties and uplift those who are weak among Thy chosen, through Thy strength and providence, in every remote place! O Lord, verily they are the captives of Thy love and the prisoners of Thy host, the birds of the atmosphere of Thy guidance, the fish of the sea of Thy providence, the stars of the horizon of Thy bounty, the army of the fortress of Thy law, the banners of Thy remembrance, the eyes of Thy mercy, the fountains of Thy grace and the springs of Thy generosity. Therefore, guard them with the eye of kindness, confirm them in promoting Thy Word, strengthen their hearts in Thy love, reinforce their backs in Thy service, make firm their loins in Thy servitude, spread through them Thy fragrances, reveal through them Thy signs, manifest through them Thy proofs, accomplish through them Thy words and perfect through them Thy mercy! Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, and, verily, thou art the Clement, the Merciful!
O my Lord, my Beloved, my Desire! Befriend me in my loneliness and accompany me in my exile; remove my sorrow, cause me to be devoted to Thy Beauty, withdraw me from all else save Thee, attract me through Thy fragrances of holiness, cause me to be associated in Thy Kingdom with those who are severed from all else save Thee and who long to serve Thy Sacred Threshold and who stand to work in Thy Cause, and enable me to be one of Thy maid-servants who have attained to Thy good pleasure. Verily, Thou art the Gracious, the Generous!
O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life. O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord. (Author Unknown, Bahá’í Prayers, p. 150)
[“With regard to the status of the prayer, "O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit" . . . all attempts to locate the original text of the prayer have, so far, proved unsuccessful. In the absence of the text it is not possible to authenticate, completely, the prayer in question.”]
Universal House of Justice to an individual, 5 June 2006
O God, my God! Thou seest me immersed in the depths of grief, drowned in my sorrow, my heart on fire with the agony of parting, my inmost self aflame with longing. Thou seest my tears streaming down, hearest my sighs rising up like smoke, my never-ceasing groans, my cries, my shouts that will not be stilled, the useless wailing of my heart. For the sun of joy has set, has sunk below the horizon of this world, and in the hearts of the righteous the lights of courage and consolation have gone out. So grave this catastrophe, so dire this disaster, that the inner being crumbles away to dust, and the heart blazes up, and nothing remains save only despair and anguish. Thou seest, O my God, in the midmost of this terrible event, this ultimate calamity, when the devoted never put aside their mourning dress, and the moaning and the tears never cease--how that malevolent band have, with all their powers, mounted an attack against Thy loved ones who are loyal to the Covenant, even as the assault of wolves upon the flock. They are striving, with all their strength, to bring down the mighty structure of Thy Covenant in ruins, and level Thy strong citadel to the ground, and turn away from Thy straight and clearly-marked path those Thou hast guided aright. O my Lord, I voice my complaint before Thee, and lay bare my griefs and sorrows, and supplicate at the door of Thy oneness, and whisper unto Thee, and weep and cry out.
