In an interview on TBN Sunday (July 14), California Pastor Greg Laurie expressed hope that the attempted assassination of Donald Trump will lead the former president to a deeper faith in Jesus as his Savior. The pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship told host Erick Stakelbeck that he’s also praying for revival in America, starting with individuals and families.
After Saturday’s shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Laurie posted, in part, “It’s time for us as a nation to pray, regardless of our political affiliation. God spared Donald Trump today.”
On Sunday, the pastor shared a longer statement with church members and social media followers. “It was nothing short of miraculous that he survived,” Laurie wrote of Trump. The pastor described the former president as having displayed “grace under fire” and prayed for his complete recovery.
Laurie said he’s praying for all of America’s leaders and candidates. It’s “crucial that we dial back the inflammatory rhetoric” and seek “the redemptive power of Jesus Christ,” he added.
Here is an interview I just did about the assassination attempt on President Trump yesterday with @ErickStakelbeck on @TBN
I also talk about the need for a spiritual awakening in America. pic.twitter.com/9jLbFMjxiE— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) July 15, 2024
Greg Laurie: ‘God Is Sovereign Over All Things’
TBN’s Stakelbeck began by reading Trump’s July 15 statement, which credited “God alone” for preventing the “unthinkable from happening.” The host asked Greg Laurie if surviving an assassination attempt is the kind of “life-changing event that can draw [Trump] into a more intimate relationship with God.”
Laurie described watching a documentary about President Reagan, whose beliefs changed “dramatically” after he survived a shooting. It’s “very significant” that Trump is acknowledging “that it was God that stepped in,” the pastor then said. “I pray that this is a turning point with President Trump.”
Laurie, who has prayed with Trump in the Oval Office and elsewhere, described the former president—and the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee—as always receptive to offers of prayer.
RELATED: Faith Leaders Respond to Trump Shot in Ear During Rally; 1 Killed, 2 Critically Injured
Next, Stakelbeck asked whether Americans can find any encouragement from Saturday’s troubling event. “It reminds us that God is sovereign over all things, and he can intervene,” Laurie replied. “And no one can stop or thwart his plans.”
Laurie, who will be leading the 35th annual Harvest Crusade on July 20, said God wants all people to be saved and to come to him. “And he will use events like this, personally and in our history, in our news, to remind us that he is here and that we can call on him.”
Events like this can spark a revival, or restoration, Laurie said. “We do need to pray for a spiritual awakening in America, but revival and awakening can happen for each of us individually.”
The pastor encouraged prayers for America, saying the country is “at a crossroads.” He also urged all Christians to register to vote and then “vote biblically.” Laurie acknowledged, “We’re never gonna find the perfect candidate, [but] we have to get as close as we can, to the candidate with the biblical worldview.” As important as voting is, he added, “The most important weapons in the arsenal of a Christian [are] praying and preaching the gospel.”
Greg Laurie: Calm Down, Follow Example of Fallen Firefighter
The next topic of conversation was the heated rhetoric in American politics, which Laurie said “has to stop.” The pastor said it’s “ridiculous” to compare Trump to Hitler and to call him a threat to democracy—and that such talk leads to horrible actions, such as Saturday’s shooting. It’s possible to communicate and to disagree calmly, Laurie noted.
, California Pastor Greg Laurie expressed hope that the miraculous survival of Donald Trump will lead the former president to a deeper faith in Jesus as his Savior.){kind=link}