The Reverend Tyrone Skinner , Pastor, Metropolitan Baptist Church, Altadena, California, offered the following prayer:
Dear gracious God our savior, we spend these moments reverencing You as we invoke Your presence in this place so that sound judicious decisions will be made that will benefit our democracy. We admit our shortcomings and our need for Your guidance in all that is done in this place.
We seek Your face to address racism, classism, sexism, and other discriminations that divide us and seek to devour the very core of our democracy. We lift especially the victims of Katrina and other natural disasters in our country that they may find peace and resolution to the quest for placement that should be theirs.
Finally, we pray for our troops who fight for the cause of democracy in Iraq. We know You will not allow their fighting to be in vain. Thank you for hearing our prayer, and we now listen for Your voice to direct our paths.
In the name of Him who has been given all power. Amen.