[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15409]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The guest Chaplain offered the following prayer:
  Let us pray.
  Creator God, give us insight to see the things our eyes overlook: 
Your infinite stars hanging low over the prairie on a winter's night, 
the rhythms of the tides as they ebb and flow like history itself.
  Open our hearts to feel the things our hands cannot touch: The 
continuing presence of the pioneering spirits who came before us, who 
are no more, yet remain with us still. Open our ears to hear Your still 
small voice echoing quietly on the evening breeze. Teach us, O God, to 
seek presence in the flash and thunder of a springtime storm, in the 
gentle pattern of a summertime rain. Remind us, O God, that though fall 
may turn our beloved land dormant brown, Your care and concern remain 
vital and alive throughout the seasons.
  Although You are called by many names, You remain beyond our naming 
and our taming. Rich, poor, powerful, weak, young or old, courageous or 
meek, famous or infamous, we are all Your creation. No matter our 
color, creed, sexual orientation, or nation of origin--we are all Your 
children, just people seeking to make a life.
  O God, we pray for peace and justice in America and throughout our 
world. Inspire our leaders, make them wise and compassionate. Bless 
them as they guide our Nation through fearful and chaotic times. 
Empower them to bring human history into a wondrous era of joy and 
harmony.
  In these things and in all things, Lord, we humble ourselves before 
You and seek Your guidance. Amen.

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