[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 11627]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, offered the following prayer:
  Almighty God, Creator, Sustainer and Providential source of all our 
blessings. We praise you for the freedom of religion in America 
guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. There is no 
separation between God and State. With gratitude we declare our motto 
``In God we trust.'' Though that trust may be expressed in different 
religions, we do proclaim You as ultimate Sovereign of our Nation. Our 
Founders declared their trust in You and in each stage of our 
development You have guided us through peril and prosperity, peace and 
war. Thank You for Your faithfulness to respond to our confession of 
trust in You.
  It is with reverence that in a moment we will repeat the words of 
commitment to trust You which are part of our Pledge of Allegiance to 
our flag: ``One Nation under God, indivisible.''
  Help us to savor these words this morning. May we never lose a 
profound sense of awe and wonder over the privilege You have given us 
to live in this religiously free land. Renew our sense of 
accountability to You, and never take for granted the freedom we enjoy 
or the accountability we have to You. As we declare our convictions in 
the Pledge, we affirm that patriotism is an essential expression of our 
trust in You.
  Specifically for today and its pressing agenda and challenges we 
affirm we are one Senate united under You to lead a nation that is free 
to say confidently, ``In God We Trust.''
  God our Sovereign, we continue the work of this busy week with the 
words and music of the Fourth of July celebration sounding in our 
souls. We pray together today, remembering the first prayer of 
dependence prayed for the delegates to the Continental Congress in 1774 
that eventually led to the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
  Now before the fireworks begin, work in us the fire of that same 
dependence on You that has been the secret of truly great leaders 
throughout our history. We pray for the women and men of this Senate. 
Enlarge their hearts until they are big enough to contain the gift of 
Your Spirit; expand their minds until they are capable of thinking Your 
thoughts; deepen their mutual trust so that they can work harmoniously 
for what is best for this Nation. You know all the legislation to be 
debated and voted on before recess. Grant the Senators an unprecedented 
dependence on You, an unreserved desire to seek Your will, and an 
unlimited supply of Your supernatural strength.
  With renewed dependence on You and renewed interdependence on one 
another as fellow patriots, help us to be willing, in the spirit of our 
Founders, to stake our reliance on You and pledge our lives, fortunes, 
and sacred honor for the next stage of Your strategy for America: God 
bless America! Amen.

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