House Opening Prayer October 4, 2023
By Pennsylvania State Representative Jamie Barton
Will you please join me in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for this day and for all the blessings You bestow upon us.
We come to You this morning as your humble servants.
And through your gifts…
Through your grace Lord, we have been entrusted to serving our communities and this Commonwealth.
And Father, we take our service seriously…
So seriously that we sometimes are weighed down with darkness …
We get discouraged, disgusted, despaired & depressed.
Lord we ask you to lift us up & fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the midst of anxiety…give us peace of mind
In the midst of distress…Let us know comfort
In the midst of heartache…Let us feel hope
In the midst of confusion…grant us focus
In the midst of fear…give us courage.
Psalm 37 reminds us to “Trust in the Lord and do good!”
Lord, we look to You for hope, help & guidance.
Because Father, in these chambers we don’t always treat one another with respect.
No one has ever been insulted into agreement.
We can only persuade with love.
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Serve the Lord” …From Romans 12
Ground us in awareness Lord and grant us knowledge & understanding of the business that needs to be accomplished.
Father, please give us all the spirit of integrity and humility in our voices and our actions, inside and outside these chambers,
so that we may hold ourselves accountable to You and this wonderful Commonwealth we serve!
God, we know these are just words unless we put them into motion, so please grant us the courage & wisdom to put these words into action!
God Bless this body and this meeting.
God Bless the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
And God Bless the United States of America.
Amen.