[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 18970]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Today's opening prayer will be offered by 
American Legion national chaplain Rev. Lawrence L. Vollink from 
Ypsilanti, MI.
  The guest Chaplain offered the following prayer:
  Let us pray.
  For all of our honorable Senators and staff, we pray, eternal God. We 
thank You for all of the blessings You have bestowed upon us, 
especially for this great Nation we are privileged to serve. We ask 
that You be with all of our leaders who are making the decisions that 
affect us, that You would endow them with courage and conviction, 
adding wisdom to their knowledge and flavoring it with humility.
  May our motivations be out of our love for all people to help them to 
live peacefully. We ask for tasks that are suited to our strength, but 
we ask for Your strength for any task You have given us. Help us to 
live in the knowledge that You have matched us to this hour in history 
and that the place and time of our service to You and to our country is 
not random but by Your wisdom and direction.
  Father, walk close to our Senators, that they may not fail. Remind 
all of us, Lord, that Your wisdom is not found in an hour, a day, or a 
year but in a process that lasts a lifetime, with You, Lord, by our 
side. We ask for patience, for understanding, as our Senators serve 
this beloved country.
  We ask that You watch over our Armed Forces this day and always.
  O Lord, You are our strength and shield. Bless us with Your abiding 
presence, now and forever. Amen.

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