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United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is offering prayers for members of the U.S. Armed Forces who find themselves in the line of fire amid escalating tensions with Iran, insisting that prayer plays a role in “every decision” that the Trump administration makes when it comes to foreign policy.
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In a press conference Monday, Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine provided updates on the ongoing Operation Epic Fury in Iran. In response to a question from a reporter asking what his prayer was for members of the armed forces that “are in harm’s way right now,” Hegseth declared, “My prayer for them is that I do pray for them.”
“My wife prays for them. Our family prays for them. Our cabinet prays for them,” he added. “None of this is done on a whim.”
Hegseth added, “I know we think about them with every decision that we make and every recommendation that we make to the president of the United States. Those recommendations are made prayerfully, and when I pray every day for them and for this mission, I pray simply for the biblical wisdom to seek what is right and the courage to do it.”
“It’s going to take courage to follow through on this. There’s going to be a lot of noise and we pray for that, and we hope all of you do too,” he concluded.
Hegseth began the press conference by delivering a message directly to members of the armed forces serving on the front lines. “May Almighty God watch over you and His providential arms of protection extend over you,” he proclaimed. “Godspeed, warriors — and keep going.”
President Donald Trump also asked God to watch over members of the armed forces as he first announced Operation Epic Fury in a speech broadcast to the nation Saturday: “We pray for every service member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans and our children will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran. We ask God to protect all of our heroes in harm’s way, and we trust that with His help, the men and women of the armed forces will prevail. We have the greatest in the world and they will prevail.”
The comments from top officials in the Trump administration, including Trump himself, invoking God when discussing Operation Epic Fury, come as Christian leaders have offered mixed reactions to the ongoing mission that has toppled the leader of the Middle Eastern country.
While the Rev. Franklin Graham, CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, encouraged his followers to pray for Trump as well as “those in our military who are risking their lives to protect America and bring freedom to the Iranian people,” progressive Christian activist Shane Claiborne condemned Operation Epic Fury. “Violence only begets more violence,” he wrote in a social media post. “When we live by the sword, we die by the sword.”
“Two wrongs never make a right. It is impossible to love our enemies as Christ commands and simultaneously prepare to kill them,” Claiborne added.
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This article was originally published at The Christian Post. Photo Credit: DoW photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza.
