Tony Perkins | February 7, 2019
(Family Research Council) – In the 67 years of the National Prayer Breakfast, the first Thursday of every February has come and gone during some tumultuous times in our country. It’s spanned the arc of war, segregation, scandal, and national tragedy. So it was no accident that today, three weeks into New York’s late-term abortion bloodbath, our leaders were drawn into a room with a single purpose: Prayer. Because if there was ever a nation that needed it, it’s ours.
In the midst of a great struggle, God picked today to bring together men and women of different backgrounds and political ideologies to hear truth. It struck me, looking around a crowd of so many powerful people, that He could choose this moment to prick the conscience of those whose hearts have been hardened. That He could use this time to do a work in the hearts of a city that holds life and death in its hands. Even in the presence of men and women who reject his own creations, God promises, “My word will not return to me empty.”
That much was clear to millions of Bible-believing Americans, who had the privilege of watching one of their greatest answers to their pro-life prayers — President Trump — take the podium and insist, to a thunderous standing ovation, “Every life is sacred.” To House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and dozens of Democrats standing in the way of human dignity, he said, “All children are made in the holy image of God… and every soul is a precious gift from heaven.” On that and so many other things, the president promised, “I will never let you down.”
And in the two years that Americans have watched this administration, they know — he means it. This is not a president who simply says, “I will always cherish, honor and protect the believers who uplift our communities and sustain our nation.” This is a president who is proving it — by continuing the fight for religious freedom, the unborn, American greatness, and goodness.
When the media attacks people of faith, this White House doesn’t join in. It fights back. Americans noticed that this morning when the president took the opportunity to fire back at critics for shaming “our incredible second lady.” “By the way, I’ve gotten to know Karen so well. She is a Marine Corps mom, a tremendous woman, a proud supporter of military families and she just recently went back to teaching art classes at a Christian school. Thank you. Thank you, Karen,” he said.
“America is a nation that believes in redemption,” Trump told the audience. And there is no better time to be reminded of that than now. As Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) made clear, “One event won’t heal all our divisions overnight, but if we invest ourselves in what this day is about — remembering that we are one and that we rise and fall together — the impact can be transformative.” Join them, and FRC, in praying for our nation and its leaders. May the seeds that were sown this morning grow into an opportunity for real reflection on who we are and what we value as Americans.
Tony Perkins’ Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.