[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 33 (Monday, March 23, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, offered the following prayer:
  God of mercy and mirth, when tensions mount, tempers are frayed, and 
work piles up, we thank You that You are the source of true joy. When 
life gets tedious and people are difficult, we praise You that we can 
experience what Habakkuk of old discovered, ``I will rejoice in the 
Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord is my strength. . 
. .''--Habakkuk 3:18. How wonderful! The prophet uses joy as a verb.
  Today, we too want to joy in You. We know that joy is an outward 
expression of an inner experience of Your grace. So we begin this new 
week reflecting on Your amazing grace. Your love for us has no limits. 
There is nothing we can do to stop You from loving us, but there is 
much that we do to block the experience of Your love. We confess our 
self-justification, our pride, and our reluctance to forgive. Cleanse 
anything in us that would block the flow of Your joy in us. Also show 
us ways we suppress or even kill Your joy in others. Nehemiah gives us 
today's motto: ``The joy of the Lord is Your strength.''--Nehemiah 
8:10. In the name of Christ who brings lasting joy. Amen.

                          ____________________