[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 345]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The guest Chaplain offered the following prayer:
  Gracious God, You have chosen us to be present to Your presence in 
each moment of this day. Our souls snap to attention. We salute You as 
sovereign of our beloved Nation and personal Lord of our lives.
  Lord, on behalf of the people of this Nation, I pray for the women 
and men of this Senate and all who serve with them. Continue to put a 
bellows on the red embers in the hearth of their hearts. Set them 
aflame again with the passion of patriotism. Rekindle in them a sense 
of their divine election by You. You have made work in government one 
of the highest callings. Our times demand greatness--the greatness of 
seeking Your best for our Nation, dependence on Your supernatural 
guidance, and commitment to unity as Americans.
  On this day of the State of the Union Address by our President, we 
ask for Your special blessing on him. We renew our loyalty to him as 
our President, our attentiveness to listen to him, and our prayerful 
reflection on his vision for the awesome issues before our Nation and 
our terrorism-turbulent world. As he stands before the joint session of 
Congress and our Nation, clear the prayer channels as we join with 
Americans everywhere in prayer for Your guidance for him.
  Today, Lord, we praise You for the courageous life of Coretta Scott 
King, so faithfully committed to the cause of human rights and 
equality.
  And now, Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on the Senators as 
they seek to work together with civility and mutual respect. You are 
Jehovah Shammah who promises to be present with us, Immanuel, our 
Saviour, who will never leave nor forsake us.
  Amen.

                          ____________________