Lebanese Elections

A Lebanese Shi'ite wrote this prayer ahead of Sunday's national elections.

A Prayer Supplication Translated into English from the original Arabic

O Lord who is worshipped by all Lebanese, we have stood in this place with broken hearts before your glory and mercy, and souls repenting to you.

We are mistaken sinners.

We confess to you that we have not been faithful to our country.

We have surrendered to divisions, and have been pleased with our hostilities, so have mercy on us. O Lord, have mercy on us. Forgive us our sins.

God, purify our memories and make us able to stand at the far and near past to learn a lesson from the many disasters, and meditate on the sweet reconciliations and the rich areas of agreement.

God, we ask you to join our hearts and cause friendship among our souls.

God, help us to accept one another as citizens and strengthen the spirit of good citizenship among us.

God rescue us from double-tongued speech and actions, and make our secret just like our known facts.

God, show us the thin dividing thread between religion and politics so that religion can be safe and politics can be straight and the nation can live.

God, teach us to teach our generations how to form their present and build their future, not with words only but with the pattern of life, mutual giving, respect, and promoting tranquility and peace.

God, beautify us with mutual respect and free us by obeying the law and caring for rights and doing our duty and make equality - based on justice - our goal and freedom our salvation.

God, teach us how to dialogue, and how to understand differences and how to solve our problems, however many they are, without resorting to violence.

God, we promise you that we will forbid violence and work to avoid it and work to promote tranquility among us so that Lebanon may stand. Amen.