House Conservatives Unite in Prayer: "This Is a Nation That Is Broken"

Michael Ringer

01 Nov 2025 — 4 min read

Washington, D.C. - Members of the House Freedom Caucus joined with the Family Research Council on Thursday, October 30, 2025, for a national prayer call titled "Congress Prays for America" to pray against rising political violence in the United States and invoke God's aid for what they described as a broken nation.

Led by Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, the event united members of Congress, Christian leaders, and Americans across the country on Day 30 of the ongoing federal government shutdown. Attendees included House Republicans from the Freedom Caucus, former Trump Cabinet official Dr. Ben Carson, and Frank Turek of Turning Point USA, whose founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated earlier this year.

The group prayed for an end to political violence, wisdom during the government shutdown, protection for Israel, blessings over President Donald Trump, and for truth to prevail in the nation.

Representative Andrew Clyde (R-GA) opened the prayer call by asking the Lord's blessing on the United States while acknowledging its need amid widespread spiritual brokenness. Noting God's faithfulness throughout American generations, Clyde emphasized that "the special trust" passed down through the centuries cannot be preserved without divine help.

"This is a nation that is broken. The people are broken, and we desperately need you, Lord," Clyde prayed.

Representative Andy Harris (R-MD), chair of the House Freedom Caucus, told attendees at the beginning of the call: "It's not often in Washington that we pause long to admit that no matter how strong our convictions or how fierce the debates around us, we are ultimately dependent on someone far greater than ourselves. Prayer isn't a sign of weakness. It's a declaration of humility that our wisdom is limited, our strength is finite, and our hope rests in the hands of a faithful God. In times like these, when our nation feels divided, when political violence and fear threaten to harden our hearts, prayer is exactly what we need."

Harris emphasized, "We can draft laws and cast votes, but only God can change hearts. Scripture reminds us, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray."

Representatives Mark Harris (R-NC) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ) offered prayers for President Trump and his protection, with Perkins noting this is in accordance with 1 Timothy 2.

"More than anything, I pray for the continued work of the Holy Spirit upon his life," prayed Representative Harris, who is also a Baptist minister. "May that still small voice of the Holy Spirit continue to speak into him and guide him moment by moment as he continues to guide this nation."

After praying for Trump's continued safety and noting what he described as the providential way Trump escaped assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, Harris prayed that Trump would be open to wise counsel and God's guidance. "We thank you for the president, and we just ask your hand upon him, and that he would not only hear the still small voice, but he would walk in obedience and in faith and in trust in you."

Frank Turek, who held Charlie Kirk in his arms after the assassination prayed:

"We have seen so much violence. There's an aura of rage about the country. Much of it makes absolutely no sense. It can only be demonic in nature. So we pray it away. Hear, Lord, hear our cry for mercy. Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, You shield us in the day of battle. Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord, do not let their plans succeed. May Your plan succeed that they become Christians. [Help] the Christians become more like You. We're here to know You and to make you known. Help us to do that better."

The event concluded with a prayer from Dr. Ben Carson, a renowned retired neurosurgeon and devout Seventh-day Adventist, who acknowledged America's dependence on God from its beginning and prayed against forces trying to destroy it from within.

"You have blessed the United States with freedom and opportunity and a rich legacy of faith. You've taken us from a ragtag bunch of militiamen to the pinnacle of the world in record time," Carson said. "But we know that all goodness comes from you, Lord, and without you, we can do nothing. We ask for your healing upon the divisions in our nation. Our nation is so strong that it can't be taken down militarily, but it can be taken down from inside. There are many agents trying to facilitate that."

"We need you, your wisdom and your guidance for our leaders. Please restore the righteousness in our homes, integrity in our institutions, unity among our people," Carson continued, adding an invocation of blessing on Israel.

In a joint column announcing the event, Dr. Harris and Perkins wrote: "When Members of Congress bow their heads together, they acknowledge that the power to restore this nation doesn't lie in the levers of politics, but in the hands of Providence."

The prayer call came amid a political environment marked by escalating violence. Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated earlier in 2025. Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman were murdered in June 2025. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence was targeted in an arson attack in April 2025. Two children were killed and 21 wounded in an August shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis.

The government shutdown, now in its 30th day, centers on a fiscal standoff between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans are pushing for a short-term extension of fiscal year 2025 federal spending levels. The GOP bill includes $88 million in increased security spending for Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court, given the heightened political threat environment. That measure passed the House on September 19 but has stalled in the Senate, where at least five more Democrats are needed to overcome a filibuster.