As RWW reported last week, President Trump’s Religious Right allies rallied to support Trump cheerleader Franklin Graham’s call to make Sunday, June 2, a special day of prayer for the Trump presidency. Graham responded to criticism that he was politicizing prayer by disingenuously claiming, “I don’t see how it could be political.” Even more disingenuously, the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins described Graham’s call as an invitation “for everyone—no matter which side they’re on—to join hands and pray for America.”
On a video Graham posted on Sunday inviting people to pray with him, Graham said “this isn’t politics.” In addition to praying that God grant Trump favor, wisdom and guidance, Graham prayed, “Father, we also ask that you would protect him from his enemies.”
Many of the Trump supporters didn’t bother with Graham’s “nonpolitical” fig leaf, and the commander-in-chief himself made a surprise appearance to receive a blessing at an evangelical megachurch just outside Washington, D.C.
POTUS Shield, a network of “apostles” and “prophets” that was set up, according to former Trump campaign adviser Frank Amedia, at God’s command on the night Trump won the presidential election, pulled no punches. POTUS Shield’s “National Day of Prayer Prayer Points”—talking points when you’re talking to God—are full of politics, asking God to intervene on Trump’s behalf in policy disputes and to bring down his opponents in Congress and the “deep state” (herewith verbatim from the POTUS Shield website):
- Attributes of Strength, wisdom, discernment, peace, health, to embolden the president and his advisors,
- Safety and supernatural shield of protection for POTUS and VP's families
- Stand, stand, stand with Israel. Do not support dividing the land.
- Supernatural intervention and mind of Christ to prevail and resolve trade challenges: China, Mexico, Canada.
- Send confusion, chaos and division into congressional committee camps that are plotting to contend with the President.
- Bind spirits of Jezebel, Absalom, and deceptive tongues. Let those who are operating in spirits of witchcraft and deception fall into there own snares
- Expose the "deep state" perpetrators who plotted and plot against POTUS. Bring them to irrefutable accountability.
- For the Influence and cooperation to resolve the immigration crisis.
- For believers to step it up, be vocal, exert influence, be strong and enduring to power through the assignments of God.
- For the next Supreme Court justice to be put in place, and for POTUS to appoint and the senate to be strong and confirm the pivotal choice that aligns with God's plan and purposes.
POTUS Shield added additional prayer points:
- For PM Netanyahu to form his government and for Israel not to be handcuffed and for the forces resisting the redemptive plan of God for His people to be buffeted.
- For the war for preservation of life of unborn children to be emboldened, for governors and states to continue to change laws, and for the Supreme Court to have courage, faith and hearts prepared to overturn roe vs wade and support stated rights to oppose abortion.
Right Wing Watch noted on Friday that the group Intercessors for America had expanded on Graham’s call and was urging its prayer warriors to take part in a seven-day prayer devotional supporting Trump.
Included in the prayer for Saturday, Day 2, were thanks to God for “the mantle of leadership YOU have placed upon our President.” In addition to asking God to give Trump wisdom, courage and strength, the prayer asked, “Set a hedge of protection around him and keep him and his family safe from the designs of the evil one.”
The prayer distributed by IFA on Sunday similarly prayed for wisdom, discernment and protection for Trump and revival for America, along with additional prayers directed at his political opponents. An excerpt:
I pray for Your almighty hand of protection to surround President Trump, and that the evil that permeates the walls of Washington D.C would be revealed. LORD GOD, I especially pray for the hearts and minds of those who demonstrate hatred for the President and the country to be brought down, and revealed to the nation. Father God, please open the eyes of the citizens deceived by the evil that has been overwhelming the good accomplishments that President Trump and his administration have made for our beloved country. Father God, please do a good work in the hearts and minds of those journalists, congressmen, senators, DOJ, FBI, judges that oppose what is good and right for our country. LORD, I pray that the border crisis ceases, that the border wall needed for this country be accomplished soon. I pray that evil be completely exposed, destroyed, and replaced by a love for You like our nation has never experienced before.
The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins sent an email dispatch to FRC’s “prayer team” on Saturday, encouraging team members to take part and spread the word:
Please hurry and let everyone know about Franklin Graham's request. On Sunday, let's pray for our president with faith, fervor, expectation, and power that God will hear us and mightily help the president amid the hostility and enable him to do great things for the American people. Let's pray, too, for his relationship with the Lord, for his family, and for all his angry adversaries.
On Sunday night, “prophetic” author Lance Wallnau prayed that God would send angels directly into the White House to protect Trump from impeachment. He reiterated his belief that media outlets critical of Trump are “the modern-day false prophet.”
In the same interview in which Graham said his prayer event wasn’t political, Graham said Trump “probably will go down as one of the great presidents of our country” and reiterated his prayer that God would protect Trump from his “enemies,” who, Graham said, are “tearing down the office of the presidency.”
Graham told Perkins, “There’s a hatred for Donald Trump that I’ve never seen before.” Graham must have a very short or very selective memory if he cannot recall the hatred that was directed toward Barack Obama, before and after his election and throughout his presidency, often by the same people who now gather around Trump.
On Sunday afternoon, Trump made a post-golfing drop-in at McLean Bible Church, one of the biggest evangelical megachurches in the D.C. area. Trump stood on stage, golf hat in his hands, while pastor David Platt prayed over him. In contrast to those glorifying Trump as God’s anointed and denouncing his opponents as agents of Satan, Platt’s prayer exalted God and asked that Trump be given grace, mercy, and wisdom, that “he would govern and make decisions is ways that are good for justice, and good for righteousness, and good for equity, every good path.” Trump, who did not speak to the audience, waved to the congregation and walked off to applause and cheers.
In a note to his congregation, Platt said that Trump’s visit was a surprise—he was notified when Trump was on his way to the church that the president wanted Platt to pray for him. He said that in that moment, given biblical instructions to pray for those in authority, “I decided to take this unique opportunity for us as a church to pray over him together. My aim was in no way to endorse the president, his policies, or his party, but to obey God’s command to pray for our president and other leaders to govern in the way this passage portrays.” Platt wrote that his congregation is diverse, and it “weighs heavy on his heart” that “some within our church, for a variety of valid reasons, are hurt that I made this decision.” He asked that people would “pray with me for gospel seed that was sown today to bear fruit in the president’s heart.”
