Wanderings

O Lord! Make this youth radiant, and confer Thy bounty upon this poor creature. Bestow upon him knowledge, grant him added strength at the break of every morn and guard him within the shelter of Thy protection so that he may be freed from error, may devote himself to the service of Thy Cause, may guide the wayward, lead the hapless, free the captives and awaken the heedless, that all may be blessed with Thy remembrance and praise. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i Prayer

One of the core beliefs of the Baha’is is to educate children.  This is a beautiful prayer asking God for assistance with that tremendous task of raising a child to be a shining light for others and to be in the service of the Lord.

I recall one morning at a devotional prayer meeting hearing a youth of about 13 years recite this prayer.  I liked it.  It felt like he was praying for himself, but by doing so in a group setting, he was drawing us all into his personal appeal to God.  I do not know if this was his intention, but the effect was a reminder that in any community, we are all responsible for the education—moral, spiritual and academic—of every child.  The future of the world depends upon it.

You can listen to (and even download) the Dawnbreaker Collective (MySpace, Official Website) setting this prayer to music below:

TeacherJay Abdu'l-Baha, Prayers children, community, education, music, prayer, youth