Donald Trump took a famous preacher's call for a 'national day of prayer' seriously enough to briefly visit a Virginia evangelical church on Sunday after a round of golf.
The president, not known for engaging in regular Sunday worship, spent 11 minutes at McLean Bible Church near Washington, D.C.
The White House said he was there to 'pray for the victims and community of Virginia Beach,' where a gunman killed 11 people on Sunday.
Evangelical leader Franklin Graham and more than 250 other Christian luminaries had asked America's Bible-believers pray for President Trump on Sunday in the hope that God would take his side in political battles that have roiled Washington.
Trump took off his white 'USA' baseball cap as he joined pastor David Platt on the stage that serves as the focus of services at the 58-year-old church.
'We pray that he would look to you,' Platt said, addressing the almighty, 'that he would trust in you, that he would lean on you, that he would govern and make decisions in the ways that are good for justice and good for righteousness, and good for equity.'
Platt didn't mention the deadly Virginia violence, but prayed aloud with his Bible held aloft for Trump, judges, members of Congress and government officials at the national and state level.
'Lord we pray, we pray that you would give him all the grace he needs to govern,' he said of Trump.
Donald Trump stood on stage Sunday at a Virginia megachurch as Pastor David Platt prayed for him; Trump was in the church for 11 minutes
The president didn't speak at McLean Bible Church but thanked Platt, and remembered to take off his golf hat before standing with him for the prayer
Mclean Bible Church boasts a weekly attendance of 5,700 at its flagship Vienna, Virginia house of worship, plus another 4,600 at four satellite campuses and online
'Many of you may have seen that there were calls to, particularly on this Sunday, pray for our president. We don't want to do that just on this Sunday. We want to do that continually, day in and day out, so I want to ask us to bow our heads together now and pray for our president.
'Oh God, we praise you as the one universal king over all. You are our leader and our lord and we worship you. There is one God and one savior, and it's you. Your name is Jesus, and we exalt you, Jesus. And we know we need your mercy, we need your grace, we need your help, we need your wisdom in our country.
'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. God, we pray that he would know how much you love him, so much that you sent Jesus to die for his sins, our sins. So we pray that he would look to you, that he would trust in you, that he would lean on you, that he would govern and make decisions in the ways that are good for justice and good for righteousness, and good for equity. Every good path.
'Lord we pray, we pray that you would give him all the grace he needs to govern, and ways that we just saw in 1 Timothy Chapter 2, that "lead to peaceful and quiet lives, godly and dignified in every way."
'God, we pray for your blessing in that way upon his family. We pray that you'd give them strength, we pray that you'd give them clarity, wisdom. Wisdom. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Please, oh God, give him wisdom. And help him to lead our country, alongside other leaders. We pray today for leaders in Congress, we pray for leaders in courts, we pray for leaders at national and state levels.
'Please, oh 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. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.'
Platt also prayed for the president's family, asking God to 'give them strength. We pray that you'd give them clarity, wisdom.'
The president didn't speak to the applauding worshipers or a string orchestra seated
