Comments on: How Prayer Creates Positive States of Mind

By: Wendy Scott

Wendy Scott — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 09:01:55 +0000

(2) Then the entreaty is “to make of my prayer a fire that will burn away the veils which have shut me out from Thy beauty,” which also seems to allude to the Báb as it was His mission to burn away veils keeping us from the truth of God and Bahá’u’lláh. Additionally, the Báb had a profound love for beauty. The “light that will lead me unto the ocean of Thy presence” alludes to Bahá’u’lláh, the word Bahá meaning light, plus He often referred to His Revelation as an ocean. I’d be interested to know if anyone else has thoughts about these words.

By: Wendy Scott

Wendy Scott — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 08:47:27 +0000

(1) The Long Obligatory Prayer begins, “O Thou who art the Lord of all Names and the Maker of the heavens! (“The Lord of all Names” seems to refer to the Báb, and “the Maker of the Heavens” Bahá’u’lláh.) I beseech Thee by them who are the Daysprings of Thine invisible Essence, (this could refer to both the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh or to the Messengers of the past, except for the next words) the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious” “the Most Exalted,” seems to mean ‘Alí, the Báb, and “the All-Glorious,” Bahá’u’lláh. Perhaps these are at least some of the meanings of these words.

By: Wendy Scott

Wendy Scott — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 08:36:03 +0000

I’ve been saying the Long Obligatory Prayer for a couple of years now, every night with very few exceptions, and I have to say, I get goosebumps from it almost every time. I get the chills during various parts of it, but mostly the standing sections. I don’t know if that means anything, but it seems to be a confirmation that these words are special, meaningful, and important. I follow it with prayers for my family and the friends, but those prayers don’t give me chills like the Long one does.

Also, thinking about the first section, it occurred to me that it is a reference three times to the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. Let me explain.

By: Zachary L. Zavid

Zachary L. Zavid — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 01:19:15 +0000

just read through the entire piece; I too say the Short Obligatory Prayer and maybe I need to graduate to the Medium.

My memory isn’t what it used to be (I wish I had been taught all 3 Prayers as a Child) so I have always struggled with the postures of the Long Obligatory Prayer.

By: Zachary L. Zavid

Zachary L. Zavid — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 18:24:42 +0000

I need to finish the article but this is a confirmation of sorts as I was writing to a friend this afternoon about how Prayer defused my emotions to return me to equanimity (even from triumph to Detachment).