Strength

O my Lord! I implore Thee to assist me and them that love me to magnify Thy Word, and to endow us with such strength that the ills of this world and its tribulations will be powerless to hinder us from remembering Thee and from extolling Thy virtues. Powerful art Thou to do all things; resplendent art Thou above all things.

Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 101

O God! O God! Thou seest my weakness, lowliness and humility before Thy creatures; nevertheless, I have trusted in Thee and have arisen in the promotion of Thy teachings among Thy strong servants, relying on Thy power and might. O Lord! I am a broken-winged bird and desire to soar in Thy limitless space. How is it possible for me to do this save through Thy providence and grace, Thy confirmation and assistance. O Lord! Have pity on my weakness, and strengthen me with Thy power. O Lord! Have pity on my impotence, and assist me with Thy might and majesty. O Lord! Should the breath of the Holy Spirit confirm the weakest of creatures, he would attain all to which he aspireth and would possess anything he desireth. Indeed, Thou hast assisted Thy servants in the past and, though they were the weakest of Thy creatures, the lowliest of Thy servants and the most insignificant of those who lived upon the earth, through Thy sanction and potency they took precedence over the most glorious of Thy people and the most noble of mankind. Whereas formerly they were as moths, they became as royal falcons, and whereas before they were as brooks, they became as seas, through Thy bestowal and Thy mercy. They became, through Thy most great favor, stars shining on the horizon of guidance, birds singing in the rose gardens of immortality, lions roaring in the forests of knowledge and wisdom, and whales swimming in the oceans of life.  Verily, Thou art the Clement, the Powerful, the Mighty, and the Most Merciful of the merciful.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Prayers, p. 178-180

O Lord! We are weak; strengthen us. O God! We are ignorant; make us knowing. O Lord! We are poor; make us wealthy. O God! We are dead; quicken us. O Lord! We are humiliation itself; glorify us in Thy Kingdom. If Thou dost assist us, O Lord, we shall become as scintillating stars. If Thou dost not assist us, we shall become lower than the earth. O Lord! Strengthen us. O God! Confer victory upon us. O God! Enable us to conquer self and overcome desire. O Lord! Deliver us from the bondage of the material world. O Lord! Quicken us through the breath of the Holy Spirit in order that we may arise to serve Thee, engage in worshiping Thee and exert ourselves in Thy Kingdom with the utmost sincerity. O Lord, Thou art powerful. O God, Thou art forgiving. O Lord, Thou art compassionate.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 457

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!

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá v2, p. 381

O my God, O my God, I beg of Thee, by the effulgence of the light of Thy countenance, whereby all the regions of the world are illumined; by the glances of the eye of Thy mercy, which comprehends all things; by the billows of the sea of Thy favor, wherewith all parts are overflowing; by the rains from the clouds of Thy gift, which are falling upon the essence of the created beings; by the radiance of Thy mercy, which overpowers existence -- to strengthen Thy chosen ones to faithfulness, to enable Thy beloved ones to serve Thine exalted Threshold, to encircle them through the hosts of Thy power, which have encompassed all things, and to assist them through Thy numerous armies from the Supreme Concourse.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá v2, p. 366

He is God

O Mighty Lord! Thou seest what hath befallen Thy helpless lovers in this darkest of long nights; Thou knowest how, in all these years of separation from Thy Beauty, the confidants of Thy mysteries have ever been acquainted with burning grief.

O Powerful Master! Suffer not Thy wayfarers to be abased and brought low; succor this handful of feeble creatures with the potency of Thy might. Exalt Thy loved ones before the assemblage of man, and grant them strength. Allow those broken-winged beings to raise their heads and glory in the fulfilment of their hopes, that we in these brief days of life may gaze with our physical eyes on the elevation and exaltation of Thy Faith, and soar up to Thee with gladdened souls and blissful hearts.

Thou knowest that, since Thy ascension, we seek no name or fame, that in this swiftly passing world we wish henceforth no joy, no delight and no good fortune.

Then keep Thy word, and exhilarate once more the lives of these, Thy sick at heart. Bring light to our expectant eyes, balm to our stricken breasts. Lead Thou the caravans of the city of Thy love swiftly to their intended goal. Draw those who sorrow after Thee into the hight court of reunion with Thee. For in this world below we ask for nothing but the triumph of Thy Cause. And within the precincts of Thy boundless mercy we hope for nothing but Thy presence. Thou art the Witness, the Haven, the Refuge; Thou art He who rendereth victorious this band of the innocent.

Shoghi Effendi, The Bahá’í World, XVIII, 1979-1983, p. 35