Change of Command Opening Prayer

It is my privilege to open this ceremony with prayer. I invite each of you to bow and pray according to the direction of your own faith tradition as I will in mine or simply to keep a moment of respectful silence.

Almighty God, You spoke the worlds into existence from nothing. We bow before you today in acknowledgement of Your greatness. We are humbled; that the Glorious King of Eternity would call us His own dear children. We are grateful that through faith in Your Son we can enter Your presence and find mercy and grace to help us when we are in need. Father, when You placed men on this earth You established governments. You further established that these governments would raise armies for the protection of people who do good from people who do evil. In the Oklahoma Army National Guard we take seriously this responsibility and sacred trust. In a world of continuous moral decay with evil on every hand, You have blessed us with leaders of strong character and stalwart faith who look to You for guidance and provide examples for others to follow. Today we say goodbye to one of those leaders. We thank you for the leadership of Col Hurtado. We thank you for his unwavering belief that the affairs of men are governed by Your divine Providence. We thank you for the great things he has done for this brigade. We pray for your continued blessings upon his life and the life of his family as he goes on from here. Keep him under your protection, strengthen his spirit for the challenges ahead, and continue to deepen his wisdom, encourage him, sustain him and widen his influence. Father, today we are receiving a new leader in Col. Chase. He has been sent to us through the machinations of Your providence. Give him humility to exercise his authority for the good of those he leads. Grant him the wisdom to make decisions that honor you, increase the effectiveness of the brigade, and encourage the hearts of his soldiers. Let his influence light the way for the