[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 11 (Thursday, January 19, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S1129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                             [[Page S1129]]
  The Senate met at 9 a.m., on the expiration of the recess, and was 
called to order by the President pro tempore [Mr. Thurmond].
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senate will now be opened by a prayer 
from our guest chaplain, the Reverend Mark Dever, pastor of the Capitol 
Hill Baptist Church.
                                 ______


                                 PRAYER

  The guest chaplain, the Reverend Mark E. Dever, offered the following 
prayer:
  Let us pray:
  King of Glory, Divine Majesty, we praise You for being the God You 
are, the God of justice, of goodness, of all power.
  We praise You for the way we see Your power displayed in the weakness 
of Jesus, Your goodness in His life, Your justice in the cross.
  We confess, Lord, that we too often are confused in the rush of 
events and deadlines. We too easily make mistakes. We mistake Your 
acceptance for kindness, bare approval for love, simple popularity for 
rightness.
  Leave us not to our own devices. You know the many and great dangers 
this Nation faces, and that by reason of the frailty of our nature we 
cannot always stand upright.
  Give each Member of this body today a concern for the fairness in the 
way business is done, a care for those in our society who are helpless, 
an ability to act in service.
  Replace confusion during discussions with clarity. Cherish the good 
thoughts and motives of those gathered here, cherish them into deeds 
great and small.
  To those gathered here for Your work, commit to them a childlike joy 
at the honor of trust which has been placed in them, a true peace, 
knowing that You care for them and this country, and a keen sense of 
their accountability to You. Give them patience in the process, 
faithfulness in their duties, and amidst such apparent power surprising 
gentleness with their colleagues, their staff, and their families.
  Use this Chamber in the deliberations to show Your goodness. For 
Jesus', our dear Redeemer's sake we ask it. Amen.

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