Washington Times | Franklin Graham: The faithful vow to pray for Trump on Sunday

Evangelist Franklin Graham has asked the nation to pray for President Trump on several occasions since 2016. Mr. Graham now has issued another call for a Trump prayer on Sunday — and he hopes the outreach will go beyond partisan political beliefs.

“This isn’t just ‘Oh, if you’ve got time, how about muttering a prayer?’ This prayer is not an endorsement of Donald Trump. I’m not asking you to do that. I’m just asking you to pray for him — that God would do his will and his purpose,” Mr. Graham told American Family Radio.

Some 300 clergy, activists, association leaders and other high profile folk have sided with the pastor and vow that they and their followers or associates will do the same.

That list includes Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr.; former Rep. Michele Bachmann, Minnesota Republican; Focus on the Family founders James and Shirley Dobson; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; the Rev. Frank Pavone, founder of Priests for Life; Southern Evangelical Seminary President Richard Land; Turning Point Ministries founder David Jeremiah; Family Research Council President Tony Perkins; Faith and Freedom Coalition chairman Ralph Reed; and “Duck Dynasty” patriarch Phil Robinson.

These organizations represent a lot of people; Faith and Freedom Coalition alone has 1 million members.

“President Trump’s enemies continue to try everything to destroy him, his family, and the presidency. In the history of our country, no president has been attacked as he has. I believe the only hope for him, and this nation, is God. This is a critical time for America. We’re on the edge of a precipice. Time is short. We need to pray for God to intervene. We need to ask God to protect, strengthen, encourage, and guide the president,” Mr. Graham said in his public call for the Trump prayer — issued just as #TrumpResignNow is trending on Twitter.

“We ask that pastors would lead their congregations in praying for the president, that Sunday schools and other groups would join together and pray, and that individuals and families across the country would have a special focus on praying for the president that day.”

There is some history here. On the night before the November 2016 election, Mr. Graham called for the faithful to pray for America, and then go vote. He had a clear comment following Mr. Trump’s victory.

“Did God show up? In watching the news after the election, the secular media keep asking ‘How did this happen?’ ‘What went wrong?’ ‘How did we miss this?’ Some are in shock. Political pundits are stunned. Many thought the Trump/Pence ticket didn’t have a chance. None of them understand the God-factor,” said Mr. Graham in the immediate aftermath.