[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 14, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H13946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               MEN OUGHT ALWAYS TO PRAY AND NOT TO FAINT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Broun) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, Luke records in his Gospel that 
``men ought always to pray and not to faint.'' That's in Luke 18:1.
  I believe in the power of prayer, and I should note that the power of 
prayer is beheld in the One to which we pray, God Almighty.
  Yesterday, my Governor, Sonny Perdue of Georgia, hosted a special 
prayer service at the Georgia Capitol to pray that the Lord would 
provide rain for our drought-ravaged State. Governor Perdue wisely 
recognized that a request such as this must be made to a higher power, 
and I commend him for his humility and wisdom in calling on God to 
provide what man cannot provide.
  One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 33:3, which states 
``Call unto me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty 
things, which thou knowest not.''
  The book of Hebrews, in 14:16 states, ``Let us therefore come boldly 
unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to 
help in time of need.''
  We are a needy people, in desperate need of God's mercy and grace. 
Throughout Scripture, we are commanded to pray and seek God's face, not 
as a last resort but as the first order of business.
  My home State of Georgia is facing one of the most severe droughts in 
its history. Our rivers and reservoirs are at record lows, and many of 
our communities face water shortages that could challenge their ability 
to meet water supply needs in the near and distant future.
  The situation has gotten so bleak that the Georgia Environmental 
Protection Division, EPD, has declared a Level 4 drought response 
across the northern third of Georgia, which prohibits most types of 
outdoor residential water use. In fact, many nurseries and outdoor 
plant suppliers are going out of business because of this.
  Worse yet, many forecasters are calling for a dry, mild winter that 
could result in serious water supply problems by spring.
  I've had the privilege and honor of working with my fellow delegation 
members in a truly bipartisan effort to come up with practical 
responses, such as conservation and water management, to Georgia's 
water crisis. Despite our best efforts in Washington and in Georgia, 
there's no legislative solution to this problem. The issue at the heart 
of our drought problem is a severe lack of rain, and there is nothing 
that government can do to change that.
  The Apostle Paul tells us to make our requests known to God with 
thanksgiving, so I gratefully acknowledge what the Lord has done for us 
already and boldly call upon Him to show favor on us yet again by 
sending rain to my beloved State of Georgia. God has not failed us 
before, and I'm confident He will not fail us now in our time of need.
  At a time when religion has been continually forced from the public 
square, I want to offer my sincere thanks to Governor Perdue for his 
bold and faithful trust in the Almighty. His efforts helped unite 
hundreds of Georgians from all walks of life, leaders and citizens from 
varying faiths and denominations, races and ages for this prayer 
service.
  So I join the Governor and fellow Georgians in calling out to God to 
provide rain from heaven, and I pray that the Lord will give wisdom and 
discernment to the Governor and each of us in leadership positions to 
address the drought and its devastating effects on our State and our 
citizens.
  So I pray, Lord, You are sovereign and completely in control of all 
things, and I acknowledge Your awesome power and authority.
  All things are in Your control, and nothing is too small or too great 
to bring before You. When you walked on the Earth in the person of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, You spoke and stilled the waves and calmed the 
winds. You spoke into the existence, the heavens and the Earth. You 
created man in your image, and I know you can alleviate the severe 
drought conditions we face in Georgia.
  So Lord, I ask in the name of Jesus that you bring down rain from 
heaven and refresh our land, fill our reservoirs and dry lakes and 
streams. I pray that You will quench our parched land, and I implore 
You, Lord, to show mercy upon us and to see us through this difficulty 
and show Your awesome hand in moving nature to suit Your will and bless 
Your people that call upon Your name.
  Thank You, Lord for all that You have done and will continue to do 
for us. And I pray this in the precious powerful name of our Lord and 
Savior, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray this. Amen.

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