May God give U.S. political leaders a sense of responsibility for hungry and poor people as they negotiate taxes and government spending amid a looming "fiscal cliff," the head of advocacy group Bread for the World wrote in a prayer on Saturday.

David Beckman, chief executive of the anti-hunger and anti-poverty advocacy organization focused his prayer posted on the organization's website on the state of the nation's divisions among the general public and its leadership. He called on God to give the political leadership wisdom for reaching a solution to serve the common good.

He wrote:

"Almighty and loving God, we pray for our nation. We are divided by ideology and interest groups. Our leaders find it difficult to make decisions together. We face pressing problems. Our economy is still fragile. But urgent questions go unresolved.

"We pray for the president and Congress as they continue to negotiate taxes and government spending. Give them wisdom, a spirit of concord, and a shared sense of responsibility for hungry and poor people. Open doors to a solution that will serve the common good. Amen."

Beckman said that whatever the outcome of the discussions, "whether that means striking a deal or going over the fiscal cliff – hungry people in the United States and around the world will feel the effects the most."