Pastor John Piper, founder of Desiring God, is praying for President Donald Trump, hoping that God will deliver him "out of darkness and into light."
Trump's first days in office have already been marred by protests, with the Women's March in Washington on Jan. 21, the day after his inauguration, drawing thousands of protesters. They rallied for LGBT rights, racial justice, freedom of religion, and workers' rights, even as they assailed Trump's anti-women stance, according to TIME.
But since Trump is now officially the 45th president of the United States, Piper believes the best thing to do is pray for him to have "a spirit of brokenness and humility."
"I pray that [God] would break his heart, give him humility, show him what it feels like to be penitent and to admit he's done wrong — to confess he was wrong, ask forgiveness from You, and ask for forgiveness from the people that he's wounded or people that he's set a bad example for," Piper said in his prayer, which he shared on his blog.
Piper said Americans are not eager to have Trump as a brother and not as an adversary. Even though his leadership will not be an easy transition, the pastor believes God will be able to do wondrous things for America.
"So, guard him from folly. Guard him from stupid decisions that would damage people, damage America, damage the church. Guard him," Piper pleaded to God. "Superintend him and the congress in such a way that, beyond their explanation, things turn in a direction that makes for the kind of good that, even though it may not have faith in it, would have the form of faith in justice and love."
Piper said he is also praying for God to protect Trump from the deceptions of Satan, so that he would be able to carry out God's providential governance in America.
As for evangelical leaders who supported Trump, Piper is praying for them as well. He hopes these evangelical leaders, who appeared "triumphalist" in Trump's win, will not celebrate his presidency "with no apparent qualification, no tears, no brokenness, no sadness that he set such an awful example for this land."
Piper is also hoping Americans would always remember to submit to the lordship of the Lord, and not to "any man who leads."
"May it always feel like a heavenly orientation rather than an earthly orientation," he added.
