God, give Congress the strength — to do its job.

The Senate’s chaplain opened yesterday’s special session with a poignant prayer imploring lawmakers to take action that will avoid the fiscal cliff.

Chaplain Barry Black asked the Lord to “save us from self-inflicted wounds” during his invocation — which was delivered to a mostly empty chamber.

“Lord, show them the right thing to do and give them the courage to do it. Be their shelter in the midst of the storm, regardless of how high the waters rise,” pleaded Black, a Seventh-day Adventist who had been a Navy chaplain before assuming his role in the Senate nine years ago.

“Look with favor on our nation and save us from self-inflicted wounds,” he said, in obvious reference to the stalled talks on Capitol Hill.