[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 24, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H4863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 PRAYER

  The Chaplain, the Reverend Margaret Grun Kibben, offered the 
following prayer:
  Holy Lord, receive us this day before Your throne of mercy, where no 
one is hidden, and all of us are vulnerable and laid bare before You. 
To You we must render account.
  Whether we offer our prayers for Israel or Gaza, Russia or Ukraine, 
the other side or our own side, because of our prejudices, wrongs, 
violence, and disregard for Your precepts of love and concern for even 
our enemies, we are not worthy to stand in Your presence.
  How dare we approach You so boldly in the hope that we would find 
Your grace in our time of need? All that we have endeavored to do to 
bring peace into these areas of trauma and conflict, our feeble 
attempts to mitigate the starvation and suffering have all fallen 
short.
  As mortals, even our best efforts cannot achieve what, at this point, 
seems impossible. But for You, O God, all things are possible. In You 
alone can we and do we trust. We appeal this day to Your abounding 
mercy and steadfast love. Hear our prayers.
  In Your sovereign name we pray.
  Amen.

                          ____________________