[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 144 (Thursday, October 25, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H7309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page H7309]]

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                        House of Representatives

  The House met at 10 a.m.
  The Reverend Dr. Benjamin K. Watts, Shiloh Baptist Church, New 
London, Connecticut, offered the following prayer:
  Our God who has been our heritage in ages past, our help in this 
present darkness, our hope in years to come, our healer from the storm 
and blast and our eternal home, we lay bare before Thee our lives, 
without disguise, without sentimentality, without pretension, but 
utterly as we are, we come to Thee. Cast out our fears and our 
anxieties and the uncertainties which envelop us as we think about the 
threats to our way of life.
  Help us, O God, to manage the imperfections of our private lives that 
our public lives may give witness to courage and faith. Give us clear 
insight and focus that will allow the fragmentations and divisiveness 
of this world to be turned into wholeness. Help our highest thoughts 
and intents to become a positive reality and, at the very least, let 
them be a guidepost to the highest good.
  Our Nation has been rocked by crumbling walls of disappointment and 
near despair. We thank Thee that though tempted to panic by disordered 
thinking, calmness, caring and compassion has been the solution for the 
men and women of this Nation. We are grateful for the secret revealed 
in this present crisis, that the souls that turned to Thee are able to 
control their emotions and perform acts of faith. Grant these civil 
liberties inner quietness of spirit that they may function in the midst 
of these days. Grant them disciplined courage that may meet the 
mounting pressures of the new world we face together.
  As we as a Nation turn to Thee, allow our private thoughts and our 
private hopes and our private desires to be illuminated and enlarged 
that they may become one with Thy great will. We pray for the brave men 
and women who are preserving this great democracy on distant 
battlefields. We are mindful that their efforts allow us to enjoy life, 
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Spare us from national turmoil. 
In these perilous days turn the clouds of mourning into the radiant 
light of joy. Frustrate those organized principalities and powers of 
wickedness, enable us to radiate righteousness until all lawlessness 
shall cease. Grant this Congress discernment to stand, deliverance from 
all graft, devotion to ultimate good, and diligence in grace. As they 
stand in the gap leaning and depending upon Thee, may their centering 
consciousness and courage be a beacon-light to all Americans that this 
Nation shall prevail. Bless our President, his Cabinet, Congress, and 
the Military to continue to protect and preserve the fruits of peace 
for our present generation and for generations to come. Amen.

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