A Prayer for America

Who among us is without faults? This is why I try to overlook the faults of others. Yet I often fall short of this requirement when it comes to America. As we prepare to vote on Election Day, amid a sea of rancor and divisiveness, this Baha'i prayer reminds me that for all its imperfections, America is a special place that has been, and still can be, of incalculable service to humanity.

O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.

—‘Abdu’l-Bahá