beholdest this
weak..."

The spreaders of the fragrances of God should recite this prayer every
morning:

O God, my God! Thou beholdest this weak one begging for celestial
strength, this poor one craving Thy heavenly treasures, this thirsty one
longing for the fountain of eternal life, this afflicted one yearning for
Thy promised healing through Thy boundless mercy which Thou hast destined
for Thy chosen servants in Thy kingdom on high.

O Lord! I have no helper save Thee, no shelter besides Thee, and no
sustainer except Thee. Assist me with Thine angels to diffuse Thy holy
fragrances and to spread abroad Thy teachings amongst the choicest of Thy
people.

O my Lord! Suffer me to be detached from aught else save Thee, to hold
fast to the hem of Thy bounty, to be wholly devoted to Thy Faith, to
remain fast and firm in Thy love and to observe what Thou hast prescribed
in Thy Book.

Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the Omnipotent.

--'Abdu'l-Baha

TESTS AND DIFFICULTIES

"O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine..."

O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such as are nigh unto Thee,
Whose sword is the ardent desire of all them that love Thee, Whose dart is
the dearest wish of those hearts that yearn after Thee, Whose decree is
the sole hope of them that have recognized Thy truth! I implore Thee, by
Thy divine sweetness and by the splendors of the glory of Thy face, to
send down upon us from Thy retreats on high that which will enable us to
draw nigh unto Thee. Set, then, our feet firm, O my God, in Thy Cause, and
enlighten our hearts with the effulgence of Thy knowledge, and illumine
our breasts with the brightness of Thy names.

--Baha'u'llah

"Glory to Thee, O my God! But for the tribulations..."

Glory to Thee, O my God! But for the tribulations which are sustained in
Thy path, how could Thy true lovers be recognized; and were it not for the
trials which are borne for love of Thee, how could the station of such as
yearn for Thee be revealed? Thy might beareth me witness! The companions
of all who adore Thee are the tears they shed, and the comforters of such
as seek Thee are the groans they utter, and the food of them who haste to
meet Thee is the fragments of their broken hearts.

How sweet to my taste is the bitterness of death suffered in Thy path, and
how precious in my estimation are the shafts of Thine enemies when
encountered for the sake of the exaltation of