[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 11893]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Today's opening prayer will be offered by the 
Reverend Dr. Delman L. Coates from the Mount Ennon Baptist Church in 
Clinton, MD.
  The guest Chaplain offered the following prayer:
  Let us pray.
  Eternal God our Holy Parent, You who are the Creator and the 
sustainer of life; we come to You today in humble adoration, thanking 
You for this day and for this occasion that brings us together. We ask 
that You would consecrate our hearts, anoint our minds, and commission 
our hands to serve the people of this great Nation.
  We gather today in the midst of unique and unprecedented times, times 
of great challenge and times of tremendous difficulty. Help us to 
discern Your will and to seek Your direction as we endeavor to confront 
the fiscal and legislative challenges of our day.
  Grant unto us clarity of thought and unity of purpose in our effort 
to make this Nation and this world a better place. Enable us to be a 
voice for the voiceless, hope to the hopeless, and help to the 
helpless. We pray for strength in both the public and the private 
affairs of our lives. We need You to be for us what we cannot be for 
ourselves. May we have the character and the fortitude to lead with 
integrity, to listen with clarity, and to serve with sincerity.
  As we start this day, we ask that You would raise the crown of 
righteousness above our heads, and we pray that You would encourage us 
to grow tall enough to wear it. These and all blessings we ask in the 
name of Love, Hope, and Peace. Amen.

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