Trump friend and informal faith adviser: 'God is giving America another chance'
Speaking to Fox News Digital just days before President Donald Trump's inauguration as 47th president, Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, expressed "gratitude to God" about Trump's re-election and his hope for the future of the country.
"I believe most evangelicals, conservative Catholics and conservative Jews all view President Trump's re-election with a feeling of relief and gratitude to God," said the faith leader in an on-camera interview. (See the video at the top of this article.)
"There's a very real sense that our country has been in a downward spiral the last four years, and mainly because of our departure from the Judeo-Christian foundation of our nation," said Jeffress. "To many people, I believe President Trump's re-election represents God giving America another chance — perhaps her last chance — to reverse this downward trajectory."
And "I'm talking about things that have caused confusion in our country over the last four years," he said.
"Embracing the transgender agenda, which is confusing our children. Wavering in our support of Israel, our only reliable ally in the Middle East. And following extreme environmental positions that may have actually caused rather than prevented some of the disasters we're seeing."
All of these things, said Jeffress, "have caused people of faith to lament — but they feel very hopeful now that President Trump is about to enter the White House [again] and they're going to be filled with prayers for him."
The pastor will be participating in certain inauguration events, he said, but was not at liberty to name the specifics ahead of those events.
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Jeffress said he hopes all Americans will heed the Bible and pray for all "those who are in authority" and in a governing capacity in this country.
"Now, I know some of our viewers and readers may be saying, ‘Pastor, are you a hypocrite? Would you have said the same thing about Joe Biden?’" said Jeffress. "And in fact, I wrote an op-ed piece for Fox News when Biden was elected, saying we may be lamenting his election, but we need to obey the Bible and pray for him."
Added Jeffress to Fox News Digital, "The Bible says we don't select whom we pray for. We pray for all leaders. And I would remind people that if President Trump wins in his agenda, which I think he will, then all of America wins, not just Republicans but our entire country."
He went on, "President Trump has been a good friend of mine for the last 10 years. I've talked to him recently. I'll talk to him again next week. And I really believe he wants to unite this country."
And "I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised at the unity that he creates in our country," said Jeffress. "Not everybody's going to agree with every policy he initiates, but I think they're going to see that he wants what is best for the country we all love."
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Jeffress said there is "no official" faith advisory role on his part, but rather "an informal friendship that I've cherished for these last 10 years. I just basically like President Trump," he said. "He's a very likable person. And I can tell you, he loves our country."
He said that "there's no sane reason he would give up a life of luxury to do this, to risk his life like he did twice in the last few months. He does this because he loves America and wants what's best for our country.
"And I think Americans ought to be able to follow any man or woman who has that kind of feeling about our country."
Jeffress added that America's "greatness is in our goodness. And the Bible says the only goodness we can have is by our right relationship with God. And I hope we'll begin not only this New Year, but this new term of the Trump administration with a new commitment to follow God. If God blesses a nation, nothing can thwart His purpose or our success."
At the same time, Jeffress noted how important it is to recognize very real struggles and challenges — "and I know at the forefront of people's thinking right now are the fires in Los Angeles and the devastation that has caused."
For tragedies like this, he said, "it's natural for people to ask the ‘why’ question. Why do these things happen? Why do they happen to me? And I would suggest that sometimes this is an unanswerable question. Instead, the real question we ought to be asking is a ‘who’ question. Who is in control of a world that seems out of control?"
Jeffress shared an example from his own life.
"A few years ago, my wife, Amy, and I were driving in the night, out in the middle of West Texas, out in the darkness during a driving rainstorm — and our headlights malfunctioned and went out. And so we were driving in the darkness.
"I couldn't see six inches in front of me, but I noticed an 18-wheeler behind me and I slowed down, and I allowed it to pass me. And once it was in front of me, I focused on its taillights. And I followed it into the nearest town."
"And when we find ourselves in a maelstrom of confusion and suffering," added Jeffress, "we wonder why these things are happening. There are three lights about God that we can focus in on. First, God is loving. The Bible says God is close to the brokenhearted. Never forget God is love."
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"Secondly, God is sovereign. That means He's in control. Nothing takes Him by surprise.
"And finally, God is powerful enough to take the worst things that happen to us and use them for our own good. The apostle Paul said, ‘For God causes all things to work together for good.’"
"To those who love Him, that doesn't mean everything that happens to us is good, but it means God is so gracious and powerful that He can take the worst things in our life, like a fire, a flood, the breakup of a relationship, an illness — He can take those horrible things and use them for our good."
Added Jeffress, "If we focus on those truths about God when we pass through a storm, then God will deliver us to the other side safely."
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Jeffress is senior pastor of his 16,000-member church in Dallas and is a Fox News contributor. His daily radio program, "Pathway to Victory," is heard on more than 1,400 stations nationwide.
His weekly television program is seen in 195 countries around the world, including on Fox Nation.
He is the author of nearly 30 books.