Members of the House Freedom Caucus joined to pray against rising political violence in the U.S. and to seek God’s help for what participants described as a nation in crisis.
Guided by Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on Thursday evening, the group also lifted prayers for President Donald Trump, for wisdom during the ongoing federal government shutdown, for Israel’s protection, and for truth to prevail.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., framed his prayer around God’s historic faithfulness to America, stressing that “the special trust” handed down through generations cannot endure without divine aid.
After interceding for congressional leaders and an end to the shutdown, Clyde asked God to strengthen pastors nationwide, requesting “great strength and great courage during this difficult time to help turn our nation back to you.”
Christian author and apologist Frank Turek—described as a friend and mentor to the late activist Charlie Kirk—prayed against what he called a mounting spirit of irrational and demonic anger and violence in the country.
“We have seen so much violence. There's an aura of rage about the country. Much of it makes absolutely no sense; it can only be demonic in nature. So we pray it away. We ask you, Jesus, to remove the demonic spirit on our nation,” he continued.
Turek also voiced hope that God is bringing good from tragedy, invoking Psalm 140 as he asked for protection from evil schemes.
“We know that Charlie's death was not good, but you brought good from it. We saw the Gospel preached, from the president on down, to more than 100 million people. That has to be a blessing on our nation.”
Reps. Mark Harris, R-N.C., and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., prayed for President Trump’s safety, with Perkins noting the biblical basis in 1 Timothy 2.
Harris thanked God for what he described as providential protection during the attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, and asked that Trump be receptive to wise counsel and divine guidance.
Echoing that theme, Biggs sought continued protection over Trump and prayed that those intent on harming him would not succeed.
Former Georgia congressman Jody Hice, now a senior fellow at the Family Research Council, prayed for God’s help against falsehoods he said pervade media and politics.
Observing that “the world in which we live is so filled with deception in every angle,” Hice highlighted untruths surrounding gender, sexuality, and abortion.
The gathering concluded with a prayer by Dr. Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon and Adventist believer, who acknowledged the nation’s dependence on God from its beginning and asked for protection from internal threats.
“We ask for your healing upon the divisions in our nation. Our nation is so strong that it can't be taken down militarily, but it can be taken down from inside. There are many agents trying to facilitate that.”
Carson added petitions for wisdom and guidance for leaders and a blessing on Israel, urging restoration of righteousness, integrity, and unity across American life.
Citing Romans 15:13, Perkins closed by urging continued prayer and steadfast hope.
“Be praying for your communities, your neighbors. Pray for the church. The church needs to rediscover its prophetic voice of declaring the Word of God and walking that out in our communities,” he said.
“And so we want to continue to call upon the God of all hope, who has the ability to transform our nation into the nation that we desire to be.”
