By PASTOR MARK MOLINA
Living Waters Church
Pastor Mark Molina
Special to the NEWS
This past Monday, Feb. 9, I had the distinct honor and privilege to serve as “Pastor of the Day” at the State Capitol. I was asked to say the opening prayer for our elected Texas Senate.
I had the honor of meeting our esteemed Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and many other Senators from our State. Senator Lucio (our elected Senator here from the Rio Grande Valle), is a genuine man of faith. He was very gracious and kind as he welcomed me to the Senate Floor.
There is protocol for everything that happens in the Senate Meetings. It is a very formal, very respectful process. To be in the Senate Chamber – the symbol of the birth of our State Government and its constitution – is a humbling and stilling experience.
The following is the prayer the Holy Spirit of God gave to me for that moment in time.
Prayer at the Texas Senate, Feb. 9th, Monday, 2015
Blessed Father, we thank you for this day to be here together as one. We thank you for the gift of life and health we have in this hour. We ask for divine counsel, guidance and wisdom for Governor Abbott and his staff. We ask for discernment and distinction for Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, as President of the Senate, its Leadership and all Senate members of this Great State of Texas. For our elected Senate we ask for courage and strength needed to make the necessary and sometimes difficult decisions required to lead our State regarding its people, its policies and its commerce. May integrity in governance be the mark of these Senate Chambers for all who preside here. In your precious and holy name we pray. Amen.
There are strict guidelines for the prayer. It is not a time to make a grand political statement against any issue or individual. The criteria reminds the one serving in the capacity as “Pastor of the Day” that there are many faiths represented in the Senate as well as those who would be in attendance. The criterion requires respect for all in the room and involved in the moment. I endeavored to honor and respect those criteria and honor the God of the Bible at the same time.
The response from Senators in the room after the prayer was given indicated it was well received and touched many. As I was leaving the Senate Floor Senator Lucio asked me to wait. He was given the floor to make an introduction regarding my personal history and service to the community. As I stood there while he made his remarks Lt Governor Dan Patrick walked up to me leaving his podium as President of the Senate.
He heard in the introduction that I serve as a volunteer chaplain for the Cameron County Jail. He informed me of a program in Houston that involves a seminary and the inmates. He asked me if I would go visit. He said he would send me the details via Senator Lucio’s office.
The Lt. Governor and the other Senators who came up to me before I could leave the Senate Floor expressed the sincere gratitude for the prayer and how much it touched them. They were sincerely moved.
Why is this important? Because the prayer had to be 1 minute or less, not more than a short paragraph as outlined in the criteria. So it was critical that I have the heart and mind of The Lord in the prayer offered. They had to be His words and not mine. It had to have the blessing and anointing of His Holy Spirit to accomplish His good and perfect will for the moment.
Remember when God sent Moses to Pharaoh, the Elders of Israel, he was given a specific dialog. He wasn’t told to speak his own mind. He was told to follow the counsel and instruction of God. It was the same for me on Monday. The Lord sent me with a specific prayer to say. My only job was to give it.
Where God leads He is responsible for the outcome. In ministry our desires and pride confuse this aspect. He is God. We are not. Allow Him to Lead.
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