In what he called the “honor of a lifetime,” Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner opened Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting with a truly moving prayer in late February. He thanked the Lord for the “opportunity to restore faith in this country” and asked to lead the nation’s turnaround with “righteous clarity.” Turner is a former associate pastor at a large Baptist church in Texas.
“Father,” Turner begins in the clip as President Trump and the assemblage of cabinet members prepare to pray, “we thank yYou for this awesome privilege, Father, to be in Your presence. God, thank You that You’ve allowed us to see this day. The Bible says that Your mercies are new every morning. And Father, God, we give You the glory and the honor.”
“Thank You, God, for President Trump,” he continued. “Father God, thank You for anointing us to do this job. Father, we pray You will give the President and the Vice President wisdom, Father God, as they lead. Father, I pray for all of my colleagues that are here around the table and in this room. Lord God, we pray that we would lead with a righteous clarity, Father God, that as we serve the people of this country in every perspective, agency, every job that we have, Father, we would humble ourselves before You, and we would lead in a manner that You’ve called us to lead and to serve.”
As he closed out the prayer, he remembered that God would be working through the Trump administration to restore the faith of the nation and those who call it home. “The Bible says the Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. But Father, we today honor You and in your rightful place, Father, thank You for giving us this opportunity to restore faith in this country and be a blessing to the people of America and Lord God. Today in our meeting, we pray that You will be glorified in our conversation in Jesus name. Amen,” he concluded.
Watch that incredibly powerful moment below:
In a post to social media afterwards, Turner said that “[g]iving the opening prayer at President Trump’s first cabinet meeting was the honor of a lifetime.” He then thanked the president for “trusting me to lead” the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the additional “opportunity to lift up Americans across the country.”
Commenting on the video, renowned Christian Pastor Greg Laurie called the moment truly “amazing,” adding that he’s “never seen anything like this before.” Laurie’s commentary later referenced the end of the prayer, noting how Turner’s entire message was one of humility and of asking for guidance. “I love how he ended that beautiful prayer in Jesus name. Let’s continue to pray for the President and his team as they lead our nation in the days ahead. You know, the Bible says when the righteous rule, the people rejoice. And there are many members of this cabinet that are committed Christians.”
Watch Laurie’s reaction to the prayer below:
Featured image: Screen shot from embedded video