[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 403]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                                 PRAYER

  The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the following prayer:
  Let us pray.
  We acknowledge today, O Lord, Your power, mercy, and grace. We need 
Your power, for the challenges we face require more than human wisdom 
and strength. We need Your mercy, for we transgress Your law and fall 
short of Your glory. We need Your grace, for we cannot offer anything 
to merit Your favor or gain Your love.
  Lord, empower our Senators for today's journey. Give them confidence 
to draw near to You, that they may find grace to help them in this time 
of need. May they pass their days in the companionship of Your 
everlasting mercy. Enable them to learn the stewardship of time, 
energy, and abundance. Temper their gifts with Your wisdom, as You help 
them with their decisions. Remind them that leadership can work 
miracles with cooperation, but accomplishes little with criticism and 
bitterness.
  We pray in Your Holy Name. Amen.

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