[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 11 (Thursday, February 12, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S679]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, offered the following prayer:
  Today, on Abraham Lincoln's birthday, we remember some of the most 
powerful things he said about prayer. ``I have been driven many times 
to my knees,'' he said, ``by the overwhelming conviction that I had 
nowhere to go but to prayer. My own wisdom and that of all about me 
seemed insufficient for the day.'' When asked whether the Lord was on 
his side, he responded, ``I am not at all concerned about that, for I 
know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my 
constant anxiety and prayer that I--and this nation--should be on the 
Lord's side.''
  Let us pray. Holy, righteous God, so often we sense that same longing 
to be in profound communion with You because we need vision, wisdom, 
and courage no one else can provide. We long for our prayers to be an 
affirmation that we want to be on Your side rather than an appeal for 
You to join our cause. Forgive us when we act like we have a corner on 
truth and our prayers reach no further than the ceiling. In humility, 
we spread our concerns before You and ask for Your marching orders and 
the courage to follow the cadence of Your drumbeat. Through Him who 
taught us to pray, ``Your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.'' 
Amen.

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