[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2353]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 PRAYER

  The Reverend J. Cletus Kiley, President, The Faith & Politics 
Institute, Washington, DC, offered the following prayer:
  Let us be mindful of God's presence.
  Loving God, as a Nation, we celebrate these days in memory of two of 
our great Presidents, the Honorable George Washington and the Honorable 
Abraham Lincoln. It was Mr. Lincoln, once a Member of this House who, 
reflecting on Your divine will, wrote, ``The will of God prevails. God 
cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time. And, it is 
quite possible that God's purpose is something different from the 
purpose of either party.''
  Lord, Mr. Lincoln made this meditation on Your divine will in a 
different context and at a most perilous time in the history of our 
Nation. The times have changed, but there are newer and different 
challenges we face. It still behooves us well, as did Mr. Lincoln, to 
meditate for a moment on Your will and Your purpose.
  Before we take up our important business here, may You pour out upon 
us an ample portion of Your spirit that each of us gathered here may 
truly discern Your will and purpose. And may we confirm our decisions, 
our comportment, and our actions accordingly. Amen.

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