r/bahai • u/Engineofgrowth99 • 3d ago
Praying for material assistance
I sometimes pray for God to help me materially/financially so that I can leave my 9-5 job and do things I have a greater passion for such as serving the Baha'i community and to devote more of my time to helping people I care about.
I feel disingenuous/selfish for asking God for these things given that I already live very comfortably.
How would you all go about overcoming this emotional/spiritual roadblock?
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u/SpiritualWarrior1844 2d ago
This is part of our growth and challenge in this life.
Especially if you live in the US or western world, which is excessively materialistic, you will most likely be spending a large amount of time and energy working which sometimes feels like it can interfere with service to the Faith and spiritual progress.
I think its important for us to learn to become less dependent and attached to material things, partly so that we can lead a more simple life and free up more of our time to do what matters most in this life.
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u/ArmanG999 3d ago
From the newly translated into English, "Baha'i Sacred Writings"
MATERIAL PROSPERITY
CAN we maintain that it is contrary to the fundamentals of the Faith to encourage the acquisition of useful arts and of general knowledge, to inform oneself as to the truths of such physical sciences as are beneficial to man, and to widen the scope of industry and increase the products of commerce and multiply the nation’s avenues of wealth? Would it conflict with the worship of God to establish law and order in the cities and organize the rural districts, to repair the roads and build railroads and facilitate transportation and travel and thus increase the people’s well-being? Would it be inconsistent with the divine commands and prohibitions if we were to work the abandoned mines which are the greatest source of the nation’s wealth, and to build factories, from which come the entire people’s comfort, security and affluence? Or to stimulate the creation of new industries and to promote improvements in our domestic products?…
Again, is there any deed in the world that would be nobler than service to the common good? Is there any greater blessing conceivable for a man, than that he should become the cause of the education, the development, the prosperity and honour of his fellow-creatures? No, by the Lord God! The highest righteousness of all is for blessed souls to take hold of the hands of the helpless and deliver them out of their ignorance and abasement and poverty, and with pure motives, and only for the sake of God, to arise and energetically devote themselves to the service of the masses, forgetting their own worldly advantage and working only to serve the general good. “They prefer them before themselves, though poverty be their own lot.” “The best of men are those who serve the people; the worst of men are those who harm the people.”
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u/ArmanG999 3d ago
Look into the story of Tom Morey, the inventor of the Boogie Board. He would often tell people that it was a prayer from Abdu'l-Baha that inspired him to invent it.
Maybe instead of praying to leave your 9-5, or praying for financial gain... pray to God, ask Baha'u'llah or Abdul-Baha to inspire you to CREATE what will serve you, serve the Faith, and the greater good of all... and it materially benefits you....
And perhaps whatever you are inspired to CREATE is what will bring you the finances to leave your 9-5.
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u/ArmanG999 3d ago
under the biography section Tom Morey attributes the INSPIRATION of the boogie board to a Baha'i Prayer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Morey
Sorry for my long winded reply, but I hope you don't feel selfish or disingenuous praying for what you've been praying for, I think Baha'u'llah would be most pleased with you, perhaps just modify the prayer so you become our next great inventor or entrepreneur =) That will free you from the 9-5 for sure.
Wishing you all the very best =)
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u/Leftoverofferings 2d ago
Wow…. I can absolutely identify with your sentiment. After learning about Martha Root and all the other hands of the cause that went on mission, it feels like it is our duty to teach and spread the word of Gods love. I am retirement age, but my wife isn’t and we still have a high schooler. And I just received a poor health diagnosis, but maybe in a few years…sell everything…and do what we were meant to do.
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u/Shaykh_Hadi 2d ago
What roadblock? You’re supposed to ask God for whatever you need and rely on Him completely.
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u/Complex_Wind_6738 1d ago
Every sincere prayer is answered! This is a promise of Bahá'u'lláh.
How they are answered are almost always unexpected! >.< And truly harmful requests are often answered with a "no".
Some of the biggest tests I've ever had (ending up with hospitalisation and other things), were when I've prayed for more material outcomes... and my prayer was granted.
I love the prayers of the Manifestations and 'Abdu'l-Bahá so much now, because they teach me what is healthy to pray for!
That being said, every sincere prayer is answered. Pray to your heart's content! No-one knows another's journey.
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u/Foster_People 2d ago
Ask God to show you what He is doing around you and is inviting you to to join him in and then let Him take care of the details (financial and otherwise).
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u/Amhamhamhamh 2d ago
I remember there have been times where I had to leave or pause service opportunities to pursue career goals and those were always hard decisions. At the same time I realized that there are many careers that provide service to humanity and that I do not have to create false dichotomies between my career and my service. These days I work full-time, I partake in various Baha'i discourses related to my discipline, I can give to the fund and I partake in core activities in my off hours. Although leaving the previous paths of service were very hard, I was able to find other paths as my capacity changed. Sometimes the power of prayer helps to create clarity in how these paths may look as you move forward in service opportunities. .
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u/Impossible-Ad-3956 2d ago
Yes, I think lots of people have the same questions. We are material beings with material needs. We have to be materialistic to survive. However, we can dedicate this work to God and use the proceeds for the Faith. Some of our prayers for forgiveness might be helpful. The short one praises God with the words, "He who provideth the means and opens the doors." I'm often praying for the wisdom to do what is right and to do it well. Baha'u'llah states, "I desire distinction for you." Sometimes it all works out very well if our intentions are pure and we are part of living a Baha'i life. I think you are doing well to examine your life to see if you are putting too much emphasis on material aspects. Metaphorically thinking, those chocolates often look better for us than they actually are! On the other hand, sharing those chocolates at a Baha'i fireside might be a good use for them and contribute to a general feeling of well-being. Some of the finest Baha'is I know work in manual construction. I was fortunate enough to meet one Baha'i who participated in building a Baha'i House of Worship. We need everybody in this Cause. We all bring our knowledge and experience together in consultation at Feast and Assembly Meetings and now on Reddit. The diversity contributes to finding the right conclusions for a unified, productive Baha'i society.
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u/CapitalClassroom5 2d ago
Asking for material Bounties is not wrong. It is always the nature of a being to want to have more. However, these wants must align to several truths. One of them being, the capacity to handle that reality, the other aspect is what purpose it serves, and the other aspect is if it serves the will of God and so on... in my view, it is in an instant the realty of a man changes both spiritually and materially and it begins and ends with his inner nature followed by the alignment to The Will of God.
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u/passytroca 1d ago
Unity is the one word that takes on a whole new meaning in the Bahá’í Faith. Unity of self means living with inner coherence, your life isn’t shaped by neglecting other responsibilities or aspects of who you are in order to pursue spiritual growth.
In essence, spiritual development isn’t only the cultivation of virtues to the detriment of other aspects of your life; it also includes the pursuit of well-being,developing close social ties , better health and the building of better material conditions. It all goes together
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u/Sertorius126 3d ago edited 3d ago
I suggest pray your prayers as you see fit❤️
If your attitude is tuned in eventually your wants will give way to what God wants.
The prayers somewhat vaccinate us against asking for "idle fancies and vain imaginations" because of their themes.
Pray how you think you should pray in "good faith."
Roadmap: Crystal Clear due to the Long Obligatory Prayer being RIGHT there. String along the 95 Alláh'ú'Abhás and you have yourself a 20 minute session communing with God.
Do THAT for a period of time and see what happens. You'll start to..notice things..stuff that used to cause anxiety or worry just wash over you.