An American pioneering couple in the 1930’s had had no results in their…
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When in Bahá'í history
An American pioneering couple in the 1930’s had had no results in their community for over three years in spite of diligent efforts. When they told Hand of the Cause Dorothy Baker, she recommended they pray "Ya Allah El-Mustagath". The wife of the couple was alarmed and exclaimed that this particular invocation was reserved for life or death situations. Dorothy responded “What greater calamity than for (you) to have spent three years in the town with no result?” This invocation was uttered 95 times. It marked the beginning of that city’s Assembly.
Source: Dorothy Baker, quoted in Fires in Many Hearts, pp. 265-267
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: prayer).
Discuss this story
For adults
- What stands out about this person's response in this account?
- What might this person's example ask of us in our own circumstances?
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
For teens
- Who is someone you know who lives out prayer the way this story describes?
- If you were going to tell a friend this story in two sentences, what would you say?
Reflection
- Is there someone in your life who would be helped by hearing this story?
- Where in your own life are you being asked to practice prayer?
- Read the passage a second time, slowly. What did you notice that you missed the first time?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "An American pioneering couple in the 1930’s had had no results in their…" drawn from?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which virtue does this story most clearly illustrate?
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/prayer
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