War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy [433]
“O Lord God! Hear us who pray to Thee: give Thy strength to our most pious, autocratic, and great sovereign emperor Alexander Pavlovich; remember his righteousness and meekness, reward him according to his goodness, by which he preserves us, Thy beloved Israel. Bless his councils, undertakings, and actions; with Thine almighty right hand uphold his kingdom and grant him victory over his enemy, as Thou didst to Moses over Amalek, to Gideon over Midian, and to David over Goliath.29 Preserve his army: place a bow of brass into the hands of those fighting in Thy name, and gird them with the power to make war. Take up Thine arms and shield, and arise to help us, so that those who contrive evil against us may be put to shame and disgrace, let them be before the face of Thy faithful army like dust before the face of the wind, and let Thy mighty angel discomfit them and drive them hence; let the net they know not of come upon them, let the trap concealed from them ensnare them; so that they fall under the feet of Thy servants, and our warriors may trample upon them. Lord! let Thy power to save in things great and small not be exhausted: Thou art God, let no man prevail against Thee.
“God of our fathers! Remember Thy compassion and mercy from all eternity; drive us not away from Thy face, neither scorn our unworthiness, but have mercy upon us according to Thy great mercy and in the abundance of Thy compassion regard not our sins and transgressions. Create in us a pure heart and renew a right spirit within us; strengthen us all with faith in Thee, establish us in hope, inspire us with true love for each other, arm us with oneness of spirit in righteous defense of the inheritance which Thou hast granted to us and to our fathers, so that the rod of the unrighteous be not raised against the destiny of the sanctified.
“Lord our God, in whom we believe and place our trust, disgrace us not in our hope of Thy mercy and make a sign for the good, so that those who hate us and our Orthodox faith may be put to shame and perish; and let all nations know that Thy name is the Lord and we are Thy people. Show us this day Thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us Thy salvation; make the hearts of Thy servants rejoice in Thy mercy; strike down our enemies and swiftly crush them under the feet of Thy faithful. For Thou art the defense, the succor, and the victory of those who put their trust in Thee, and to Thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now, and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.”
In that state of inner openness in which Natasha found herself, this prayer had a strong effect on her. She listened to every word about the victory of Moses over Amalek, and Gideon over Midian, and David over Goliath, and about the destruction of “Thy Jerusalem,” and asked God with that tenderness and softness with which her heart was overflowing—but she did not understand very well what she was asking of God in this prayer. With her whole soul she participated in the petition about a right spirit, about the strengthening of hearts with faith, hope, and inspiring them with love. But she could not pray about trampling her enemies under her feet, when a few moments before she had wished to have more of them, so as to love them and pray for them. But she also could not doubt the rightness of the kneeling prayer that was being read. She felt in her soul the reverent and trembling fear before the punishment that comes upon people for their sins, especially upon her for her sins, and asked God to forgive them all, and herself, and to grant