[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24857]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 PRAYER

  The Reverend Dr. Benny Tate, Rock Springs Congregational Methodist 
Church, Milner, Georgia, offered the following prayer:
  Our most kind and gracious Heavenly Father, we thank You for this day 
and the privilege to approach Your throne. We are grateful that one of 
our forefathers, Ben Franklin, had the foresight to request that 
Congress begin each meeting by imploring the assistance of heaven.
  Lord God, I lift up everyone here today to You in prayer, realizing 
that we often refer to them as politicians, but in Your Holy Book, you 
refer to them as ministers. And they are responsible to those they 
represent but ultimately to You.
  I pray Your wisdom, direction, and guidance upon them and their 
families. I especially ask You to be with President Bush; lead him as 
he leads our Nation. I ask You to be with our soldiers, no matter where 
they are serving; protect them, and bring them home safe.
  Lord, we still believe what George Washington stated more than 200 
years ago: ``It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God 
and the Bible.''
  May we always be keenly aware of what made this Nation great and may 
we return to You.
  I pray all this, in the wonderful name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus 
Christ, until You come, we pray.
  Amen.

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