Speaking to Fox News Digital just days before President Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president, Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, expressed his “thanks to God” for Trump’s re-election and his hope for the future of the country.
“I believe that most evangelicals, conservative Catholics and conservative Jews view the re-election of President Trump with a sense of relief and gratitude to God,” the faith leader said in an on-camera interview. (See the video at the top of this article.)
“There is a very real sense that our country has been on a downward spiral over the last four years, and largely because of our departure from the Judeo-Christian foundation of our nation,” Jeffress said. “For many, I believe President Trump’s re-election represents God giving America another chance — perhaps its last chance — to reverse this downward trajectory.”
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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. Faltering in our support for Israel, our only reliable ally in the Middle East. And pursuing extreme environmental positions that may have actually caused the country to prevent some of the disasters we’re seeing.”
Pastor Robert Jeffress of Dallas, Texas and President Donald Trump pictured during the first Trump administration. (Olivier Douliery/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
All of these things, Jeffress said, “have caused people of faith to mourn — but they feel very hopeful now that President Trump will enter the White House (again) and they will be filled with prayer for him.”
The pastor will attend several inauguration events, he said, but was not at liberty to divulge specifics ahead of those events.
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Jeffress said he hopes all Americans will pay attention to the Bible and pray for all “those in authority” and in a governing capacity in this country.
“We pray for all leaders.”
“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?” Jeffress said. “And in fact, I wrote an op-ed piece for Fox News when Biden was elected, saying that we can mourn his election, but we must obey the Bible and pray for it.”
Jeffress added on Fox News Digital, “The Bible says we don’t choose who we pray for. We pray for all leaders. And I would remind people that if President Trump wins on his agenda, which I think he will , then all of America wins, not just the Republicans, but our entire country.”
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump place their hands on their chests during a Salute to America event on the South Lawn of the White House, Saturday, July 4, 2020, in Washington, DC (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
He continued: “President Trump has been a good friend of mine for the last 10 years. I talked to him recently. I’ll talk to him again next week. And I really believe he wants to bring this country together.”
And “I think people will be pleasantly surprised by the unity it creates in our country,” Jeffress said. “Not everyone is going to agree with every policy he starts, but I think they’re going to see that he wants what’s best for the country we all love.”
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Jeffress said there is “no official role” of trust counseling on his part, but rather “an informal friendship that I’ve had for the last 10 years. I just basically like President Trump,” he said. “He’s a very likeable person. And I can tell you he loves our country.”
He loves America and wants what is best for our country.”
He said that “there is no reasonable reason that he would give up a life of luxury to do this, to risk his life as he has done twice in the last few months. He does this because he loves America and wants what is best for our country.
“And I think Americans should be able to follow any man or woman who has that feeling for our country.”
Former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is seen at an election night party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Evan Vucci/AP)
Jeffress added that “America’s greatness is in our goodness. And the Bible says that the only goodness we can have is from our right relationship with God. And I hope we start not only this New Year, but this new term of the Trump administration with a renewed commitment to follow God. If God blesses a nation, nothing can stand in the way of His purpose or our success.
‘Merciful and Mighty God’
At the same time, Jeffress noted how important it is to recognize the very real struggles and challenges — “and I know that at the forefront of people’s thinking right now are the fires in Los Angeles and the devastation they’ve caused.”
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Of tragedies like this, he said, “it’s natural for people to ask the question ‘why.’ Why do these things happen? Why do they happen to me? And I would suggest that sometimes that’s an unanswerable question. Instead, the truth The question we must ask is one of “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 at night, in the middle of West Texas, in the dark during a rainstorm—and our headlights didn’t work and they went out. And so we were driving in the dark.
“I couldn’t see six inches in front of me, but I noticed an 18-wheeler behind me and I slowed down and let it pass me. And once it was in front of me, I focused on its tail lights. And I followed it to the nearest town.”
“Never forget that God is love.”
“And when we find ourselves in a whirlwind of confusion and suffering,” Jeffress added, “we wonder why these things are happening. There are three lights around God that we can focus on. First, God is loving. The Bible says God is near. to those with a broken heart.
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“Secondly, God is sovereign. That means He is in control. Nothing surprises Him.
“And finally, God is powerful enough to take the worst things that happen to us and use them for our good. The Apostle Paul said, “For God causes all things to work together for good .”
“God will deliver us to the other side safely.” (iStock)
“For those who love Him, this does not mean that everything that happens to us is good, but it means that God is so merciful and powerful that He can take the worst things in our lives, like fire, the flood, the breakup of a relationship, an illness—He can take those terrible things and use them for our good.”
Jeffress added, “If we focus on those truths about God when we go through a storm, then God will deliver us to the other side safely.”
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Jeffress is the senior pastor of his 16,000-member church in Dallas and is a Fox News contributor. His daily radio program, “Road to Victory,” is heard on more than 1,400 stations nationwide.
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His weekly television program is seen in 195 countries around the world, including here Fox Nation.
He is the author of nearly 30 books.
