Trump visits Virginia church for prayer

President Donald Trump stopped by McLean Bible Church Sunday in Vienna, Va., where Pastor David Platt, with one hand on the president’s back and another holding the Bible, prayed for Trump and the country’s government. Platt, author of bestselling book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board, prayed for “grace, mercy, and wisdom” for the president, asking that Trump would know the extent of God’s love for him. He referenced 1 Timothy 2:1-2, which says in part, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

The president dropped by the church in northern Virginia “to visit with the pastor and pray for the victims and community of Virginia Beach,” where a shooting Friday at a municipal building left 12 dead, the White House said in a statement. Trump shook Platt’s hand after the prayer, thanking him, and waved to the applauding crowd as he left the building. He departed for a state visit to the United Kingdom later Sunday night.

On Saturday, the president thanked Franklin Graham for his announcement of a “Special Day of Prayer for the President,” scheduled for Sunday, but that event seemed unrelated to the visit to McLean Bible Church. “We will all stick together and WIN! Thank you Franklin,” Trump tweeted.