With Majority Whip Rob VerHeulen, Mary, and Senator Dave Hildenbrand
Mary and I drove to our state capital this morning in Lansing, Michigan, as I was invited by our state senator, Dave Hildenbrand, to give the invocation to the senators at the State Legislature. We met with Senator Hildenbrand and the Majority Whip of the State House, Rob VerHeulen, who has been a good friend for many years. After my prayer, we toured the capitol building, and then went out to lunch with Senator VerHeulen. We had a fascinating talk, especially about politics and next year’s election. May God have mercy upon our land and nation. Here is the invocation I gave.
Most High God, we thank Thee that thou art the living Triune God. Grant us to know Thy greatness and to feel our smallness. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion is from generation to generation. Thou rulest over the kingdom of humanity; the powers that be are Thy servants for the good of mankind.
Therefore, heavenly Father, I thank Thee for these State Legislatures and pray that Thou wouldst grant them in all that they do the holy fear of Thy Name, which esteems the smiles and frowns of Thyself to be of greater value than the smiles and frowns of men. Guide them in all the decisions they make; grant them great wisdom—heavenly wisdom above and beyond their own. Help them to serve Thee and others as men and women of truth, of fairness, and of love. Let them hate sin, and honor Thy Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Let them pursue and promote spiritual, moral, and fiscal righteousness. Grant them the courage and wisdom to show mercy to the needy and to defend the defenseless. Fill them with an over-flowing ocean of compassion. Let the reign of love be their motive and the law of love their rule. Let them strive to be godly men and women, well-known for their integrity; let them be honored for their goodness by the people who elected them.
Lord, we live in troubling, sin-embracing times when many people seem to do that which is right in their own eyes rather than Thine with regard to issues that relate to the sanctity of life and the foundational structures of our society. Oh Lord, deliver us from going our own way. Help us all to humble ourselves before Thee, to repent of sin, and to come back to Thee, for Thou has promised that if we repent, Thou wilt hear us from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land. Wash away all of our shortcomings and sins in Christ’s atoning blood. Help us all to remember that Thou, O God, art the Judge of all the earth. Grant us all therefore that we may find mercy from Thy Son when He returns to judge the living and the dead. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
