President Trump’s Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner took the internet by storm with a straightforward and unapologetic statement about God’s role in building, maintaining, and strengthening the lives of Americans, and indeed the entire nation, during its storied 250 years with remarks at the annual National Day of Prayer.
For context, the National Day of Prayer has been a mainstay in Washington, D.C. since the inception of a task force by the same name in 1983 under the Reagan administration. Since its founding, Democrat president Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden have not held formal events and in many cases, opened up the informal gatherings they did host to include various religions. That being said, the original purpose of the event was to highlight Christianity and the purpose it serves in individual and national identities.
Speaking at the official White House event, Turner came out strong, saying he took his position seriously with the limited time Trump has remaining in office. “You know, oftentimes, when I come in to work at HUD and I see our beautiful team, I say, You know what, we have one more opportunity to live for God and to serve Him and to honor Him and to bless the people of America and make an impact in our generation,” he said.
“And today, I’m glad that we get to share that with you all. This morning, prayer is very powerful, because Almighty God is powerful, and that truth has guided our great nation through mountain tops and valleys for the past 250 years, our founding fathers were men of faith who understood that God is the cornerstone of our Republic, and all of us here, because we recognize that truth as well, and we know that God’s power impacts both the lives of individuals and the destiny of our entire country,” he continued.
“To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin said, the God who controls the fly of a sparrows is the same God who charts the course of nations? Scripture says in Proverbs that the heart of man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps. I’m so grateful that God establishes my steps. How about you?” he finished.
Watch Turner below:
President Trump also released an official message. “This National Day of Prayer, we proudly recommit to our magnificent birthright of faith. I encourage all Americans to come together today in prayer, reflecting on the many blessings God has given our Nation and asking for His continued protection, with ceremonies, events, and programs in their houses of worship and places of work, schools, and homes,” the statement said.
“Above all, we pledge that America will always, as it is written in Psalm 96, “Tell His glory among the nations”—and that we will never forget God’s role in creating, protecting, and sustaining the freest, strongest, most prosperous, and greatest country the world has ever known,” it concluded.
Featured image: The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons