VIENNA, Va. — David Platt, the former president of the Southern Baptist International Missions Board (IMB) and current pastor of McLean Bible Church in Virginia, prayed over President Trump on Sunday after he made an unannounced visit to the church to meet with Platt and pray for the victims of Friday’s mass shooting in Virginia Beach.

Platt pointed to 1 Timothy 2 in telling the congregation that while Sunday had been marked a special day of prayer for the president (by Franklin Graham), we are to pray for those in authority “continually.” He then asked those present to bow their heads as he laid his hand on and prayed for Trump.

“O God, we praise you as the one universal king over all. You are our Leader and our Lord. We worship You. There is one God and one savior, and it’s You, and Your name is Jesus,” Platt began. “We exalt You, Jesus.”

“We know [that] we need Your mercy. We need Your grace. We need Your help. We need Your wisdom in our country,” he continued. “And so we stand right now on behalf of our president and we pray for Your grace, and Your mercy, and Your wisdom upon him.”

Platt then prayed that Trump would know the message of the gospel.

“We pray that he would know how much You love him — so much that you would send Jesus to die for his sins, our sins,” he asked. “So we pray that he would look to You, that he would trust in You, he would lean on You, that he would govern and make decisions in ways that are good for justice, and good for righteousness and good for equity — every good path.”

Platt also prayed for strength, clarity and wisdom for the entire Trump family, noting that, according to the Scriptures, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

“Fools despise wisdom and instruction,” he said, quoting from Proverbs 1:7. “Please, O God, give him wisdom and help him to lead our country.”

He then broadened his prayer to ask the same for all leaders in both federal and state positions.

“We pray today for leaders in Congress. We pray for leaders in courts. We pray for leaders in national and state levels,” Platt said. “Please, O God, help us to look to You. Help us to trust in Your word. Help us to seek Your wisdom and live in ways that reflect Your love and Your grace, Your righteousness and Your justice.”

“We pray for Your blessings on our president toward that end,” he concluded. “In Jesus name we pray, amen.”

Trump then thanked Platt as he shook his hand and then turned to the congregation and mouthed thank you to those in the seats, applauding the church.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 reads, “I exhort therefore that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men — for kings, and for all that are in authority — that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

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