Topic: Suffering and Tests Page 1 This newsletter is dedicated to all seekers after the Eternal
Truth.
O SON OF MAN! My calamity is My providence, outwardly it is fire and vengeance,
but inwardly it is light and mercy. Hasten thereunto that thou mayest become
an eternal light and an immortal spirit. This is My command unto thee, do thou
observe it.1
We may not immediately (or sometimes ever) be able to see past
the seeming "fire and vengeance" to perceive the "light and
mercy" inside the calamities that afflict us at any particular time, but
Bahá'u'lláh assures us in the above passage that the "light
and mercy" is indeed there and will benefit us by enabling us to "become
an eternal light and an immortal spirit," which is surely a worthy and
desirable goal for each of us. It takes patience and faith that God truly has
our best interests at heart--and who better (actually, who else at all)
can we trust with the basics of our existence than our Creator Himself Who
loves us more than anyone else possibly could? In addition, we have the
assurance provided by these next passages, to increase our strength, courage
and confidence:
Set all thy hope in God, and cleave tenaciously to His unfailing
mercy. Who else but Him can enrich the destitute, and deliver the fallen from
his abasement?2
He will never deal unjustly with any one, neither will
He task a soul beyond its power. He, verily, is the Compassionate, the
All-Merciful.3
O SON OF MAN! Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come
upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more.4
O SON OF BEING! If poverty overtake thee, be not sad; for in time the Lord of
wealth shall visit thee. Fear not abasement, for glory shall one day rest on
thee.5
O SON OF UTTERANCE! Thou art My stronghold; enter therein that thou mayest abide in
safety. My love is in thee, know it, that thou mayest find Me near unto
thee.6
But why do we need tests at all when they can be so
painful and difficult? The next passages further explain the nature and value
of tests: 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?7
--Bahá'u'lláh
.Life is a load which must be carried on while we are on
earth, but the cares of the lower things of life should not be allowed to
monopolize all the thoughts and aspirations of a human being. The heart's
ambitions should ascend to a more glorious goal, mental activity should rise to
higher levels! Men should hold in their souls the vision of celestial
perfection, and there prepare a dwelling-place for the inexhaustible bounty of
the Divine Spirit.8
O SON OF MAN! For everything there is a sign. The sign of love is fortitude
under My decree and patience under My trials.9
O SON OF MAN! If adversity befall thee not in My path, how canst thou walk in the
ways of them that are content with My pleasure? If trials afflict thee not in
thy longing to meet Me, how wilt thou attain the light in thy love for My beauty?10
O SON OF MAN! Be thou content with Me and seek no other helper. For none but Me
can ever suffice thee.11
O SON OF SPIRIT! Ask not of Me that which We desire not for thee, then be content
with what We have ordained for thy sake, for this is that which profiteth thee,
if therewith thou dost content thyself.12
Not until man is tried doth the pure gold distinctly separate from
the ross. Torment is the fire of test wherein the pure gold shineth
resplendently and the impurity is burned and blackened. 13
The passage which follows is a speech (which I chose to include
in its entirety) given by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during a trip to Paris near the
beginning of this century, and which may provide some
additional insight and guidance on this subject. In this world we are influenced by two sentiments, Joy and
Pain. Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more
vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem
better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. But
when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength leaves us, our
comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. The actualities of life seem
to elude our grasp, the eyes of our spirits fail to discover the sacred
mysteries, and we become even as dead beings. There is no human being untouched by these two influences;
but all the sorrow and the grief that exist come from the world of matter--the
spiritual world bestows only the joy! If we suffer it is the outcome of material things, and
all the trials and troubles come from this world of illusion. For instance, a merchant may lose his trade and depression
ensues. A workman is dismissed and starvation stares him in the face. A
farmer has a bad harvest, anxiety fills his mind. A man builds a house which
is burnt to the ground and he is straightaway homeless, ruined, and in
despair. All these examples are to show you that the trials which
beset our every step, all our sorrow, pain, shame and grief, are born in the
world of matter; whereas the spiritual Kingdom never causes sadness. A man
living with his thoughts in this Kingdom knows perpetual joy. The ills all
flesh is heir to do not pass him by, but they only touch the surface of his
life, the depths are calm and serene. Today, humanity is bowed down with trouble, sorrow and
grief, no one escapes; the world is wet with tears; but, thank God, the remedy
is at our doors. Let us turn our hearts away from the world of matter and live in the spiritual world! It alone can give us freedom! If
we are hemmed in by difficulties we have only to call upon God, and by His
great Mercy we shall be helped. If sorrow and adversity visit us, let us turn our faces to
the Kingdom and heavenly consolation will be outpolled. If we are sick and in distress let us implore God's
healing, and He will answer our prayer. When our thoughts are filled with the bitterness of this
world, let us turn our eyes to the sweetness of God's compassion and He will
send us heavenly calm! If we are imprisoned in the material world, our spirit
can soar into the Heavens and we shall be free indeed! When our days are drawing to a close let us think of the eternal
worlds, and we shall be full of joy! You see all round you proofs of the inadequacy of material
things--how joy, comfort, peace and consolation are not to be found in the
transitory things of the world. Is it not then foolishness to refuse to seek
these treasures where they may be found? The doors of the spiritual Kingdom
are open to all, and without is absolute darkness. Thank God that you in this assembly have this knowledge, for
in all the sorrows of life you can obtain supreme consolation. If your days on
earth are numbered, you know that everlasting life awaits you. If material
anxiety envelops you in a dark cloud, spiritual radiance lightens your path.
Verily, those whose minds are illumined by the Spirit of the Most High have
supreme consolation. I myself was in prison forty years--one year alone would
have been impossible to bear--nobody survived that imprisonment more than a
year! But, thank God, during all those forty years I was supremely
happy! Every day upon waking, it was like hearing good tidings,
and every night infinite joy was mine. Spirituality was my comfort, and
turning to God was my greatest joy. If this had not been so, do you think it
possible that I could have lived through those forty years in prison? Thus, spirituality is the greatest of God's gifts, and
'Life Everlasting' means "Turning to God'. May you, one and all, increase
daily in spirituality, may you be strengthened in all goodness, may you be
helped more and more by the Divine consolation, be made free by the Holy Spirit
of God, and may the power of the Heavenly Kingdom live and work among you.
This is my earnest desire, and I pray to God to grant you
this favour.14
Finally, to close this issue, I think a couple of prayers
revealed by Bahá'u'lláh and the Bábspecifically
for assistance with tests would be very appropriate and useful: 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 toward 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 Daystar 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 Dayspring 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! And finally, I beg of Thee by the light of Thy countenance
to bless my affairs, and redeem my debts, and satisfy my needs. Thou art He to
Whose power and to Whose dominion every tongue hath testified, and Whose majesty and Whose sovereignty every understanding heart
hath acknowledged. No God is there but Thee, Who hearest and art ready to
answer.15 --Bahá'u'lláh
Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be
God! He is God! All are His servants, and all abide by His
bidding!16 --The Báb
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1 Bahá'u'lláh , TheHidden Words of
Bahá'u'lláh, p 15. 2 Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, p. 323. 3 Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, p. 106. 4 Bahá'u'lláh, TheHidden Words
of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 16. 5 Bahá'u'lláh, TheHidden Words
of Bahá'u'lláh p. 16. 6Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of
Bahá'u'lláh, p. 6. 7Bahá'í Prayers, 1954 Ed., p. 104. 8 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 99. 9 Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of
Bahá'u'lláh p. 15. 10 Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of
Bahá'u'lláh, p. 15. 11 Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of
Bahá'u'lláh, p. 8. 12 Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of
Bahá'u'lláh,p. 8. 13 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of
'Abdu'l-Bahá, pp. 120-121. 14 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, pp. 109-112. 15Bahá'í Prayers, 1991 Edition, pp. 26-27. 16Bahá'í Prayers, 1991 Edition, p. 28.
