The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“A TRANSCRIPT OF THE NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST PROCEEDINGS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1774-E1778 on Sept. 13, 1995.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
A TRANSCRIPT OF THE NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST PROCEEDINGS
______
HON. BILL EMERSON
of missouri
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, September 13, 1995
Mr. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year the 43d annual National Prayer Breakfast was held here in our Nation's Capital. This gathering is hosted each year by Members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives and their respective prayer breakfast groups.
We were honored once again with the participation of our President and Mrs. Clinton and our Vice President and Mrs. Gore. Also joining us were individuals from literally all walks of life--representing all 50 States and over 140 countries.
Our Congressional Committee, which plans the breakfast, was chaired by the Honorable H. Martin Lancaster, who faithfully served here in the House for many years. On his behalf and in behalf of the Congressional Committee for the National Prayer Breakfast, I request that a copy of the program and of the transcript of the breakfast proceedings be printed in the Record at this time, so that all Americans can be encouraged by the proceedings that took place that morning.
National Prayer Breakfast
CHAIRMAN: THE HONORABLE H. MARTIN LANCASTER
Pre-Breakfast Prayer--General Carl E. Mundy, Jr., Commandant,
U.S. Marine CorpsOpening Song--Mount Olive College Concert Choir and Mount
Olive College SingersOpening Prayer--The Vice President of the United States
Breakfast
Welcome--The Honorable H. Martin LancasterRemarks-U.S. House of Representatives--The Honorable Tillie
Fowler, U.S. Representative, FloridaOld Testament Reading--The Honorable Ruth Ginsburg, Associate
Justice, U.S. Supreme CourtRemarks-U.S. Senate--The Honorable Robert Bennett, U.S.
Senator, Utah Solo--Ms. Janice S. SjostrandNew Testament Reading--The Honorable Richard W. Riley,
Secretary, Department of EducationPrayer for National Leaders--The Honorable John Engler,
Governor, State of MichiganMessage--The Honorable Andrew YoungIntroduction of the President--The Honorable H. Martin
Lancaster
The President of the United States
Closing Song--Mount Olive College Concert Choir and Mount
Olive College SingersClosing Prayer--The Reverend Billy Graham
Audience, please remain in place until The President and Mrs. Clinton have departed
General Mundy: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Would you bow in prayer with me?
Our heavenly Father, there are many here today in positions of great responsibility to and concerns for the peoples of the world. We come to pray for your guidance. We recall that at the beginning of his reign, Solomon prayed to you and asked the following, ``Now O Lord, my God, you have made your servant king, in the place of my father, David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.'' In hearing his prayer, God said to Solomon, ``Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies, but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for, both riches and honor, so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.''
Holy Father, we here today ask for the overshadowing wisdom of God not just for ourselves, but for all the peoples of the world. Trusting in that wisdom and in your forgiveness, we, like Solomon, who are also but little children, ask your presence, your grace, and your blessing on this gathering and on this food that we share together.
Amen.
Master of Ceremonies: Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States and Mrs. Clinton. (Applause.)
Representative Lancaster: Surely the Lord is in this place and aren't we all glad to be here is morning? (Applause.)
As you will hear later, the House and Senate each have regular weekly prayer breakfasts, the Senate on Wednesdays and the House on Thursdays, and one of the longest and most regular participants in those prayer breakfasts, first as a member of the House and later as a member of the Senate, is our Vice President of the United States, Al Gore. We are happy now to call on the Vice President for our opening prayer.
Vice President Gore: Would you join me in prayer?
Oh, God, creator of the Earth and the heavens and all living things, we come together this early winter morning to warm ourselves through our faith in you. We all come in the same spirit, a spirit of faith and love, but different paths have brought us here. We come to you from all walks of society and all corners of the globe, leaders in national office, students in college, men and women, Republican, Democratic, Independent. We are of all beliefs, Christian, Jew, Hindu, Muslim, some do not belong to an organized religion at all. But we all believe that by coming together in this way we may better understand each other, our place in this world, and our duty to serve you.
Bring us together this morning. Be with those who speak, who read, and sing, and pray this morning. Open our hearts to hear.
Almighty God, we thank you for all that you have given us. The gifts we have received from you are many. We ask that you give us these blessings as tools to help others and to better bring your presence into the awareness of all in this world.
We are mindful of those who are not here, and especially of those who are in need, who are in poverty, those who are hungry, those who are suffering from disease, crime, ethnic violence, war, and ecological destruction.
President Kennedy reminded us that here on earth God's work must truly be our own. Sometimes if we're lucky we know how best to do your work. At other times the answers may not be so clear.
We come to you in prayer this morning and we ask that you would grant us the wisdom to know what it is that You desire, and then to have the courage to do those tasks you set before us. Let us have enough faith in you that we may become vessels of your goodness. May we always remember to bring your light into the darkness.
Please bless all of us here, bless President Clinton and the First Lady, and all leaders here. May they receive strength from their faith in You, to continue the work they have begun for all of us.
And Lord, bless our great country.
Amen.
Representative Lancaster: Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, heads of state, leaders from around this country and around the world, what great joy it brings to me to be able to welcome you to the 43rd National Prayer Breakfast.
We have participating here today over 3,800 people. With more than 170 countries represented, all 50 states, today's remarks are being interpreted into six languages.
What a happy time it is that so many have chosen to come here this morning in the Spirit of Christ and to share this time together.
I am happy to welcome here amongst us six heads of state, and I would like, if I could, to have them stand, if you would please wait, and recognize the six of them after I have completed the introductions.
First, the Prime Minister of Dominica. (Applause.)
The President of Eritrea. (Applause.)
The President of Fiji. (Applause.)
The President of Muldova. (Applause.)
The Prime Minister of Poland. (Applause.)
And the President of Western Sahara. (Applause.)
For 43 years people have gathered in Washington each February with one purpose in mind, to come together in God's love to pray for our country, our leaders, and our relationship with our brothers and sisters around the world.
In a time of increasing fractiousness in our councils of government at all levels and in our interpersonal relationships, this is a special time to come together as one in Christ. In a time of increasing partisanship it is time to put aside our party differences and to just love each other and to pray for one another. In a time when harsh words are often thoughtlessly uttered against our brothers and sisters, it is a time to come together in harmony and in peace. In a time when at home and abroad too many seem to be consumed by hatred, so this is a time to come together in reconciliation. In a time when we seem to be divided by race, ethnicity, creed, party, country, it is a time to reach across those divides and to see each other as all human beings who are children of God, and who each one of us is loved by him.
It is perhaps remarkable then, that so many of us have come together today, when you consider that the forces of Satan are so ever present, seeking to pull us apart. But it is the Spirit of Christ that permeates this place and this setting this morning.
It is important that every day we remember our President, our Vice President, their families and our leaders in this country, in our prayers, and to do so despite our political and philosophical differences. But it is especially important that we come together today in that spirit to say that we may not always agree, but we always love.
Likewise it is important for our President, our Vice President, our leaders of Congress and the government to also pray for all of us, the American people and our friends from around the world, and to join us in prayer for wisdom, for health, for prosperity, for peace, and that God's will will be done in our lives, in their lives, and in all of our actions.
This National Prayer Breakfast grew out of a House and Senate Prayer Breakfast that you will hear about this morning, 43 years ago with the leadership of then President Eisenhower, Dr. Billy Graham, and the members of the House and Senate Prayer Breakfast at that time. Before we hear from them, however, I would like to introduce the head table.
I know that I can't stop you from applauding--(laughter)--but it would be nice, except for the President and Vice President, if you would wait, and we will give them all a great big round of applause when we finish.
To my right is the President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
(Applause.)
My wife, Alice. (Applause.)
The Reverend Dr. Billy Graham. (Applause.)
Our speaker today, Ambassador Andrew Young. (Applause.)
Justice Ruth Ginsburg. (Applause.)
The Secretary of Education and Mrs. Richard Riley.
(Applause.)
And to my left, Senator Robert Bennett, who will bring greetings from the Senate. (Applause.)
The Vice President, Albert Gore, and his wife Tipper Gore.
(Applause.)
Mrs. Robert Bennett. (Applause.)
The Governor of Michigan, John Engler. (Applause.)
Congresswoman Tillie Fowler. (Applause.)
Our soloist, Ms. Janet Sjostrand. (Applause.)
And the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General and Mrs. Carl Mundy. (Applause.)
One of the most meaningful experiences of my service in Congress has been to gather on Thursday morning, in a time of fellowship and prayer with my colleagues in the House. And I am very pleased to present to you now, Congresswoman Tillie Fowler of Florida, to bring greetings to us from that very special group. Congresswoman Fowler.
Representative Tillie Fowler: Good morning everyone, and thank you, Martin.
On behalf of the House Prayer Breakfast Group I want to greet you all and welcome you to this very special event. We are especially happy to see the many honored guests who have traveled from abroad to be with us today. Your presence here and the sheer size and diversity of this morning's gathering underscores the fact that the Prayer Breakfast movement is not only national but international. And I am honored to have the opportunity to tell you about our group in the House.
Every Thursday at 8 a.m. a group of House members gathers together in room H-130 of the Capitol for fellowship and prayer, Democrat and Republican, young and old, liberal and conservative, from any number of states and backgrounds. We leave our differences outside the door of that room and we get to know each other on the basis of something that transcends the labels which so often divide us during the rest of the week. As a result many special and unlikely friendships have been born and nurtured during those meetings.
The meetings are for members only, no staff is allowed, and each week there is a different speaker, alternating between our parties. So no matter what the concerns of the day, we always meet with good humor and fellowship. We spend time relating to one another on a personal level rather than a political one. And we raise our voices in a joyful, though not always very tuneful noise to the Lord by singing a hymn, and we pray for each other, for our president, for our nation, and for peace in the world.
And every week we meet to talk and pray, to share our public concerns and our private dilemmas. A small miracle takes place there, a miracle I think of in terms of regaining perspective.
I know if any of you are artists, you know that in art perspective means drawing or painting to fool the eye into seeing something which is not there, distance for example, or three dimensions instead of two. But for the rest of us, however, it means exactly the opposite, seeing what is really there and what is truly important.
For a member of Congress Washington can be a dangerous place, not because of crime, although that exists, but because every day we face the possibility of losing our perspective, of becoming tangled in the snares of business, partisanship and self-importance that lie all around us and which distract us from remembering why we are here.
Anyone who watches C-SPAN can see that we sometimes tend to concentrate on what divides us rather than what unites us. In the midst of all the sound and fury it is very easy and very human to get carried away by some personal or partisan agenda and forget about the importance of actually accomplishing something constructive on behalf of the people who sent us to Washington.
Our weekly House Prayer Breakfast serves as a spiritual self defense against the very real danger of losing our perspective and forgetting that our purpose here is to serve others. The time we spend together on Thursday mornings fortifies our faith, sharpens our sense of purpose, and reminds us that we are here to work together for the good of our nation.
J. Hudson Taylor once said, ``Do not have your concert first and tune your instruments afterward, begin the day with God.'' And I think of our meeting as a time to tune up and begin the day in harmony with each other and with God's will, and I know that the House of Representatives and each one of us is the better for it. Thank you. (Applause).
Representative Lancaster: Thank you, Tillie, and I believe that her remarks have given you a flavor of the importance that the weekly prayer breakfast is to all of us who participate in that wonderful event.
I am now happy to call on Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Ruth Ginsburg, for the Hebrew reading.
Justice Ginsburg: My reading is from Deuteronomy, Chapter 16, Verses 18-20, and Deuteronomy, Chapter 25, Verses 13-16.
``You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes, in all the settlements the Lord your God is giving you. And they shall govern the people with due justice. You shall not judge unfairly. You shall show no partiality. You shall not take bribes, for bribes line the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just. Justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land the Lord your God is giving you.''
``You shall not have in your pouch alternate weights, larger and smaller. You shall not have in your house alternate measures, larger and smaller. You must have completely honest weights and completely honest measures if you are to endure on the soil that the Lord your God is giving you, for everyone who does those things, everyone who deals dishonestly, is abhorrent to the Lord your God.''
Representative Lancaster: Thank you, Justice Ginsburg.
Representing the Senate Prayer Breakfast Group, to bring you greetings from them, is the Senator from Utah, Robert Bennett. Please welcome Senator Bennett. (Applause.)
Senator Robert Bennett: Thank you, Mr. President and Mr. Vice President and other distinguished guests. It is an honor for me to be here representing the Senate Prayer Breakfast Group. If I may be personal for a moment, I remember the first time I walked into that group as a newly elected Senator, Mark Hatfield who in many ways is the--if I may use the term, the Godfather of that group, been involved in it for all of his Senate career, said to me, ``That seat,'' and he pointed to a particular chair, ``Is where your father always sat.''
Forty-two years ago my father started attending the Senate Prayer Breakfast, and it's a great honor for me now to carry on that tradition in the Senate Prayer Breakfast and in the Bennett family, to see to it that I continue to attend regularly.
My one regret is that one of the few times I let my schedule interfere with attending that, President Clinton came, unannounced. If he had announced it obviously we would have had much better attendance than we did. (Applause.) And I think that's a tribute to him, that he would do that at a time of pressure, that he would seek that kind of solace and sanctuary, because the Senate Prayer Breakfast Group has become a place of refuge and sanctuary for those Senators who seek that relief from the pressures of the time. All Senators are welcome, as in the House.
We come together to do the kinds of things you've heard about in the House, to read the scriptures, to talk over the various pressures and challenges that we have, and all of that is the formal thing that goes on. But informally, I have discovered that we also come together to heal.
The Senate Prayer Breakfast is a place where we can recover from deep political wounds and on occasion serious personal tragedy. As we listen to our colleagues talk out the challenge of the loss of a spouse, or a child, or a parent, it's a wonderful time. It's a wonderful place to be.
I am honored to be able to represent that group here today and to welcome all of you to this breakfast. Thank you.
(Applause.)
Representative Lancaster: Thank you, Senator Bennett.
When members of the Executive Committee of the National Prayer Breakfast met with the President and the Vice President in the Oval Office to discuss this year's program, we went over the entire program to receive their input and to let them know how important their participation from the very beginning was in their efforts. It is a tradition of the National Prayer Breakfast that a person is chosen with special talents in song to come and present a solo for those of us here at the National Prayer Breakfast.
It was at the suggestion of the President that this morning's soloist was invited. For some of you who were present or otherwise heard by video or audio the funeral services of the President's mother, you may remember the beautiful voice that sang on that touching occasion, because it was Janice Sjostrand who is from Lonoke, Arkansas, who with her husband, her father-in-law and mother-in-law engage in a special ministry in that community in Arkansas, who presented that solo. We are pleased this morning that Janice Sjostrand would come and bless us with her song of praise. Ms. Sjostrand. (Applause.)
solo by ms. janice s. sjostrand
Representative Lancaster: What a wonderful suggestion you made to us, Mr. President, and what a blessing that was for all of us, Janice, thank you very much.
It's now my pleasure to present to you for the New Testament reading, my friend and the former Governor of South Carolina, and now the very fine Secretary of Education, Richard Riley. Mr. Secretary. (Applause.)
Secretary of Education Richard Riley: Thank you, Martin. My reading from the New Testament is short, so I ask you to pay close attention. (Laughter.)
I shall read from the book of Matthew, Chapter 19, verses 13 and 14.
``Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The Disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, `Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'''
May God bless the reading and the hearing of his Holy Word.
Representative Lancaster: We are pleased to call on Governor John Engler, the Governor of Michigan, to bring to us a prayer for our national leaders. Governor.
Governor John Engler of Michigan: Thank you, Congressman. Let us pray.
Almighty God, we come together on this special occasion to pray for the leaders of our great nation, for President Clinton, for Vice President Gore, and the cabinet, for members of the Congress and Justices of the Supreme Court. Indeed, for all the men and women who are called to serve the American people, and whose judgment, decisions and actions affect our nation's destiny. May our leaders have the wisdom to seek your guidance and the courage to do your will.
Lord, we know that our nation was founded and forged in prayer. We thank you for blessing America, throughout our history with great leaders, with men and women who in triumph and tragedy sought to do what was pleasing in your sight.
We think back to the year 1775 when the brave members of the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, aware that the fate of a noble experiment lay in their hands, but they knew they didn't carry that burden alone. Ben Franklin told that esteemed gathering, ``Truly our first order of business as a Congress is to ask the protection and guidance of Almighty God.'' And our Founding Fathers called for a day of public humiliation, fasting and prayer throughout the 13 colonies, that the people would pray for them and that God would lead them to do what was right. And within a year a new nation was born, a nation destined to lead the world in the paths of freedom and opportunity, justice and righteousness.
We think back to the hard winter of 1777 and '78, when George Washington was Commander-in-Chief of the American armies. He sought shelter in Valley Forge and protection in you. Withdrawing to a lonely snow covered clearing at the edge of the forest, he dropped to his knees and humbly prayed for your protection. He beseeched you to keep liberty loving men and women safe during that bitter cold winter that we now know as the crucible of freedom. And his citizen-soldiers survived to fight for a new day, to fight the good fight for a nation that held out promise beyond measure.
Then, we think back to 1861, to the newly elected president of a troubled nation. Abraham Lincoln experienced a tearful farewell when he left his home in Springfield, Illinois, for Washington. Before boarding the train he spoke these poignant words, ``My friends, I leave you with this request, pray for me. I leave now not knowing when or whether ever I may return. For the task before me is greater than that which rested upon President Washington. Without the assistance of that divine being, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail.''
Yes, Heavenly Father, throughout the ages our leaders have called on you, knowing that without your assistance they could not succeed, but with your assistance they could not fail. And so, with confidence we approach your throne of grace.
Today at this annual prayer breakfast our nation calls out to you in prayer again. On bended knee we beseech you to forgive our sins against the old and young, against the born and unborn. With longing hearts we listen for your answers that are wiser than our prayers. We ask that you send the holy spirit to our leaders. We ask that you send the holy spirit to them and to all of us, that we may raise our hearts and voices in one refrain to you, O God, and give you thanks for the United States of America. Amen. (Applause.)
Representative Lancaster: Thank you, Governor.
Ambassador Young is a man of great distinction. From his days as a very young leader in the Civil Rights Movement, to a respected member of the House of Representatives, he brought great distinction to himself and to his country as a young man. And during the Carter administration brought great credit to his country on the international stage as Ambassador to the United Nations. And then, to complete the cycle, he returned to his home of Atlanta and became its mayor and led that city to new heights.
But first and always, Andy Young has been and will continue to be a man of God. Welcome now our speaker for this morning, Ambassador Andrew Young. (Applause.)
Ambassador Andrew Young: Mr. President, Mrs. Clinton, Vice President Gore and Mrs. Gore, distinguished friends, brothers and sisters, this is an awesome responsibility. And yet, I grew up with these prayer breakfasts.
As a young member of Congress one of the things that helped me to find my way was the attendance at the House Prayer Breakfast. Later as Ambassador to the United Nations, before our cabinet meetings, many of us gathered in the White House for a moment of prayer. It was, as Senator Bennett said, a time when we came together in spite of disagreements, essentially because of our sufferings and in need of healing. For in spite of what anybody says about us, all of us, in spite of what we think of ourselves, we are all God's children. And the flesh and blood which we see is only a small part of the existence that makes us real.
In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul talks about the purpose of God, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. And there is in the presence of the enormous diversity of opinion, of race, of creed, of class, national origin, there is a need ultimately and fundamentally that we all somehow know that we are one, that if there is a purpose to our existence, if there is a process toward which we all move in our politics, it is to find ways to live together in peace and to enjoy the abundant life which God has made possible for us.
And when we don't come together to seek that unity, we end up pulling apart and we destroy ourselves but we also destroy the possibilities of the abundant life with which God has blessed us. And so, in some way or another, we all seek to move toward that end. And it is not without difficulty.
We are so mindful of the things that divide us. Everything about our society tends to pit us against each other. All of our insecurities make us reach out to people whom we think are like ourselves, but even in our marriages, when we find someone that we know is just like ourselves, fortunately I found out she was a woman. (Laughter.) And there are major differences. (Laughter.) And thank God for those differences.
But it was always easier for me to get along with the Ku Klux Klan. (Laughter.) For I never lost my temper.
(Laughter.) I understood we were different. (Laughter.) But in the intense emotion and love of man and woman, of mother and father and children, the difference between generations, there is all the emotion and all of the insecurity and all of the threat that makes it difficult for us to be one.
And so, when we talk about oneness, we're not just talking about bringing the whole globe together. We are not talking just about Democrat and Republican, we're talking about human beings, and that is the struggle of each and every one of our lives in some way, shape or form. And if the truth be told, none of us does it very well.
We all need forgiveness of one another and we all need sensitivity toward one another, to learn to listen and understand one another, and that's extremely difficult. And yet, that's the task to which we have been called. That's the requirement of leadership in order for civilization to survive. And we have, in our experience with the Bible, lesson after lesson as to how God leads us in that direction.
The prophet Jeremiah says that the Lord has written a new covenant on our hearts, that nobody has to tell anybody anymore about God, that God loves us unconditionally and we know that. That's not even a matter of debate. We might resist it, but we spend so much energy in the denial that that in itself is an affirmation that we do not belong to ourselves, we belong to a creator far greater than any and all of us. And we have discovered that in our living together, and I think we have discovered it most of all in our sufferings.
One of the things that we share is human suffering. I lost my wife a few months ago. The president said good-bye to his blessed and wonderful mother. Doug Coe lost a son. When our presidential prayer breakfast, when I was at the United Nations, Ray Marshall's 16-year-old was dying of cancer while he was trying to carry on the Department of Labor. There is a human drama of suffering that involves in some way all of us, and maybe that's what makes us one. For God has identified with us in our suffering and has sent his son to suffer with us and for us. And now it's almost as though in our sufferings we come to know who we really are.
And so, we shouldn't be afraid of our sufferings. Our sufferings are our teacher that remind us that we belong to God, that we are not flesh, and bone, and blood. We are, indeed, all creatures of the spirit.
And when we are challenged by the difficulties that certainly exist as we come to the end of a century and even the end of a millennium, when we face as leaders the anxiety
and frustration and insecurity, the conflict that rages all across this planet, when there seems to be no possibility of political or economic unity, we are reminded that we are one, that in our suffering and in our inevitable death we are one.
I was fortunate to live with Martin Luther King for eight years before his assassination, and hardly a day passed when he didn't talk about death. But it was never a morbid conversation because ironically in some ways, or prophetically, Martin was stabbed as a young man of 29, and in order to remove the letter opener that pressed against the aorta of his heart, the surgeons had to carve a cross in his chest.
He used to joke and say he was glad he got stabbed in Harlem because they knew how to deal with knife wounds at Harlem Hospital and it was a matter of routine surgery. But he was left with this cross carved in his chest, and he said,
``Every day when I wake up and brush my teeth, I have to look the cross in the face, and I have to ask myself, `What am I living for today?' And I know that each day might be my last.''
And he would always end up making a joke about it, as though death were not something to be feared, but that death was something that would liberate him from the awesome burden in which history has placed him. And he said if a man has not found something for which he is willing to die, he probably isn't fit to live anyway.
As we have watched our loved ones suffer, we have come to realize that as the flesh subsides, the spirit is released and we know who and what we really are. We know ultimately that we are sons and daughters of God. And that knowledge, that faith can take us through the complexities of any millennium. It is what has seen our country through many dangers, toils and snares, God's amazing grace.
And I close by sharing with you one of my favorite hymns. It's a hymn for tough times, ``How firm a foundation, when through the deep waters I cause thee to go. The rivers of woe will not be overflow, for I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace all sufficient shall be thy supply. The flames shall not hurt thee. I only design thy dross to consume and thy goal to refine. The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose, I will not forsake to his foes. That soul, all though all hell shall endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake.''
God is with us constantly, moving, loving, forgiving. We need not fear. We need not shirk responsibility. We need only be faithful and give thanks for the blessings of God throughout the history of this nation and know that throughout this planet God is still moving in mysterious ways to make it more possible for us to come together and know that in Him we are truly one.
Amen. (Applause.)
Representative Lancaster: Clearly the Lord's hand was present in guiding us to our wonderful speaker this morning. Thank you, Ambassador Young.
From our first meeting with President Clinton in the Oval Office, through subsequent telephone communications as we planned this event, his participation has been unusual and unprecedented. However, it should not be surprising to those of us who know him, because we know that faith is central to the life of Bill Clinton.
He is a scholar of the Bible, a seeker of the truth, a man whose faith is obvious in his utterances and in his compassion for the poor and downtrodden.
It is my privilege and high honor to present to you William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States.
(Applause.)
President Clinton: Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you, Martin Lancaster, for your incredible devotion to this prayer breakfast and for all the work you have done to make it a success. To Vice President and Mrs. Gore, and to the members of Congress, and the Supreme Court, and governors the distinguished leaders of previous administrations, and of course, to all of our foreign guests who are here, and my fellow Americans.
Hillary and I look forward to this day every year with much anticipation. It always gives me new energy and new peace of mind, but today is a special day for me.
It's always wonderful to see our friend Billy Graham back here. This is the 40th of 43 Prayer Breakfasts he has attended. I'd say he's been faithful to this as he has to everything else in his life, and we are all the richer for it. (Applause.)
It was wonderful to be with Andy Young again. He stayed with us last evening at the White House and we relived some old times, talked about the future. None of us could fail to be moved today by the power of his message, the depth of his love for his wonderful wife, who blessed so many of us with her friendship, and I'm sure he inspired us all.
I also want to say a special word of thanks to my friend Janice Sjostrand for coming here all the way from Arkansas. You know, one of the greatest things about being governor of my state is I got to hear her sing about once a month, instead of once in a blue moon, and I miss you and I'm glad to hear you today. Thank you. (Applause.)
We have heard a lot of words today of great power. There is very little I can add to them, but let me say that in this age, which the Speaker of the House is always reminding us is the Information Age, an exciting time, a time of personal computers, not mainframes, a time when we are going to be judged by how smart we work, not just how hard we work, the power of words is greater than ever before.
So, by any objective standard, the problems we face today, while profound, are certainly not greater than they were in the Great Depression, or in the Second World War, or when Mr. Lincoln made those statements when he left his home in Illinois to become president that Governor Engler quoted, or when George Washington suffered defeat after defeat until finally we were able to win by persistence our freedom. No, they are not, these times, as difficult as they are, more difficult than those. What makes them more difficult is the power of words.
The very source of our liberation, of all of our possibility and all of our potential for growth, the communications revolution gives words the power not only to lift up and liberate but the power to divide and destroy as never before--just words--to darken our spirits and weaken our resolve, divide our hearts.
So I say perhaps the most important thing we should take out of Andy Young's wonderful message about what we share in common is the resolve to clear our heads and our hearts and to use our words more to build up and unify, and less to tear down and divide.
We are here because we are all the children of God, because we know we have all fallen short of God's glory, because we know that no matter how much power we have,
we have it but for a moment and in the end we can only exercise it well if we see ourselves as servants, not sovereigns.
We see sometimes the glimmer of this great possibility when after hundreds of years the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland decide that it may be time to stop killing each other; when after 27 years Nelson Mandela walks out of his jail cell and a couple of years later is the president of a free country from a free election; when we see the miraculous reaching out across all the obstacles in the Middle East. God must have been telling us something when he created the three great monotheistic religious of the world in one little patch and then had people fight with each other for every century after that. Maybe we're seeing the beginning of the end of that, in spite of all the difficulties. But it never happens unless the power of words become instruments of elevation and liberation.
So we must work together to tear down barriers, as Andy Young has worked his whole life. We must do it with greater civility. In Romans, St. Paul said, ``Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.''
There's not a person in this room that hasn't failed in that admonition, including me. But I'm going to leave here today determined to live more by it.
And we must finally be humble, all of us, in whatever position we have, not only because, as Andy reminded us, we're just here for a little while, not only in our positions but on this earth, but because we know, as St. Paul said in Corinthians, that we see through a glass darkly. And we will never see clearly until our life is over. We will never have the full truth, the whole truth. Even the facts, as Andy said, I thought that was a brilliant thing, the flesh and blood of our lives, the facts we think we know, even they do not tell us the whole truth of the mystery of life.
So, my fellow Americans and my fellow citizens of the world, let us leave this place renewed in the spirit of civility and humility and the determination not to use the power of our words to tear down.
I was honored to say in the State of the Union last week that none of us can change our yesterdays, but all of us can change our tomorrows. That surely is the wisdom of the message we have heard on this day.
Lastly, let me ask you to pray for the president, that he will have the wisdom to change when he is wrong, the courage to stay the course when he is right, and somehow, somehow, the grace of God not to use the power of words at the time in human history when words are more omnipresent and more powerful than ever before, to divide and to destroy, but instead to pierce to the truth, to the heart, to the best that is in us all.
Thank you all, and God bless you. (Applause.)
Representative Lancaster: Thank you, Mr. President.
Since the first National Prayer Breakfast there has been one constant and guiding light to all of them, the Reverend Dr. Billy Graham. As the president indicated, in 43 years he has missed only three of them. And throughout those years and even the years he was not here, his prayers have always been for the people and her leaders.
The Reverend Dr. Billy Graham will now pronounce the benediction. Dr. Graham. (Applause.)
The Reverend Billy Graham: In all these years we have never had a more spiritual Prayer Breakfast than this one. My own heart has been touched and I have rededicated my own life to the Lord for what years I may have left. Shall we pray.
Our Father and our God, we humbly thank you for this unique occasion and for the privilege that is ours of coming to you in prayer. We thank you for those who have joined us from other nations today, especially from North Korea. We have come today asking for your wisdom, strength and guidance for the future, especially as we approach the end of this century and face the challenges of a new millennium.
Again, we pray for President Clinton and Vice President Gore and their families. Give them wisdom, and strength, and courage that they have asked for here today. Give wisdom to all who counsel them. We pray again for the Senate and the House of Representatives, the cabinet, the courts as they continue their deliberations. Give us wisdom. Give wisdom to all who serve at every level of government. Help us to remember that to whom much has been given, much has been required, and this applies to us all as individuals as well as a nation.
Now we leave this place, we believe, with a new commitment. The challenge that Ambassador Young brought us will never be forgotten. The challenge that has been brought to us by our president will linger in our hearts for a long time and help us all to resolve to pray for him daily as he faces all the problems that any president faces, but even more in this information age.
We thank you especially for our Lord, Jesus Christ, who died on that cross that Andy Young referred to a moment ago, out of love for us, and then told us to love one another and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
So the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. This we pray in the name of our Father, in the name of his Son, in the name of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
End of Program.
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