[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 3, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S8677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, offered the following prayer:

Bless the Lord, O my soul:
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
                                                       --Psalm 103:1.  
  Gracious God, You have given us souls so we could know You and 
receive Your spirit of wisdom, guidance, and power. We thank You for 
the repeated reminders from the psalmist not to neglect the spiritual 
health of our souls, and Jesus' warning to us of the danger of gaining 
the whole world and losing our own souls.
  Lord, we confess that we don't think very much about the condition of 
our souls, nor do we always listen attentively to Your voice speaking 
to us through our souls. It is easy to lose our assurance of abundant, 
eternal life in the intensity of the pressures and the demands of daily 
life. We become burdened by the responsibilities when we lose the 
blessing of our relationship with You. The danger is that we polish our 
personalities and we shrink our souls.
  As we begin this day, we honestly confess to You our deep inner need 
for a fresh inflow of Your spirit into our souls so that all the 
faculties You have given us will be used to glorify You and not 
ourselves. Through our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

                          ____________________