[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 27 (Friday, February 10, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S2435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The guest Chaplain, the Reverend Richard C. Halverson, Jr., offered 
the following prayer:
  Let us pray:
  God of the Nations, Lord of History, Thy Word declares that, ``Except 
the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the 
Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.''--Psalms 127:1. 
Again, it is written, ``* * * let every man take heed how he buildeth * 
* *.''--1 Cor. 3:10b.
  Though much of the burden for building our Nation rests upon the 
``council of elders''\1\ within this Senate, we know that unless Thy 
decrees uphold us, the hours we spend in our best legislation are in 
vain.
     \1\The word ``Senate'' is derived from the Latin word, 
     ``senatus'', ``council of elders''.
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  In the words of President Lincoln, whose birth we soon celebrate: 
``Without the assistance of that Divine Being * * * I cannot succeed. 
With that assistance, I cannot fail. Trusting in Him, let us 
confidently hope that all will yet be well.''\2\
     \2\These words were spoken by President-elect Lincoln as he 
     left Springfield, Illinois, for Washington, D.C., in 
     February, 1861 (McCollister, John. ``So Help Me God'', 
     Landmark Books, p. 81 (1982)).
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  Once again, in the urgency of this hour, we beseech Thee for divine 
assistance. We pray for a hedge of enlightened restraint around this 
``necessary fence''\3\ of the Senate. For through this body, 
regulations must pass that will either strengthen or weaken our 
country.
     \3\James Madison referred to the Senate as a ``necessary 
     fence'' of ``enlightened citizens'' whose responsibility it 
     was to protect the rights and property of its citizens 
     against ``public impetuosity''.
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  As pressures mount for instant solutions to complex problems, grant 
those who hold this ``senatorial trust''\4\ the calm resolve to be not 
driven by public restlessness, nor drifting in stubborn idleness, but 
drawn by Thy vision of righteousness--which upholdeth the Nation.
     \4\Alexander Hamilton spoke of a ``senatorial trust.''
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  And if the machinery of government seems to turn too slowly against 
the tide of national anxiety, may those who labor here take courage 
from the tortoise who, by perseverance, reached the ark, even in the 
face of an impending flood. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.


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