In what would be considered an unusual move for a politician by some pundits, the governor of Mississippi led his state in a brief Bible study complete with prayer in a Facebook live event on Sunday.

Sitting between a US flag and the Mississippi state flag, Gov. Tate Reeves told his audience he had picked out a few Bible verses to read and also asked his audience to join him in prayer.

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“Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us this day,” Reeves prayed. “As we know we wouldn’t be here without You or without what You have provided for us. And as the psalmist said, ‘Today is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ . . .

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“In your name, we pray. Amen.”

Gov. Reeves then read several scriptures. First, he read 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9.

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;” the governor read.

“My fellow Mississippians we are in challenging times. We’ve said it repeatedly,” Tate said. “But we know there are people working day and night. We spent most of the day yesterday distributing supplies to our emergency first responders, distributing supplies to our hospitals. That’s going to be one of the challenges of the coming days as the number of cases continues to grow. That we ensure that we get the necessary supplies to places where they need to be. I’m committed to working to do that.”

Reeves then picked up his Bible and read John 16: 32-33.

“Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;

I have overcome the world.“. . .

He then issued a challenge to everyone across the Magnolia state about shared sacrifice, to step up and help their friends and neighbors by delivering groceries to the elderly and also to people with compromised immune systems.

“If we’re able to keep those in the highest risk categories healthy, I believe that will help us long term,” Reeves noted. . .

“Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us this day. Thank you for looking over us. Thank you for giving our leaders wisdom.

“Dear Heavenly Father, please be with President Trump, Vice President Pence, the leadership team in Washington as they try to deal with this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic across the globe. Be with all of their advisors. Grant them wisdom. Be with them.

“Heavenly Father, please be with our leadership team in Mississippi. Please look over us. Please advise us. Please help us to make all decisions to honor you. In your name.

Dear Heavenly Father, please be with our health care workers. They are the ones on the frontlines, getting up, going to work every single day, helping their fellow Mississippians, and their fellow Americans. Please be with them during these stressful times. Please be with their families as I know it’s difficult for all of their families as they are working literally day and night to help protect their fellow Mississippians. They are literally doing Your work, dear Lord.

Dear Lord, please also be with our emergency first responders. Be with our military men and women and personnel, both abroad and here at home. They are helping us respond to these challenges. Please be with them every step of the way.

“And dear Lord, please be with all three million Mississippians. Please grant them the wisdom to make smart choices. Please grant them the wisdom to do what’s right, not only for themselves but what’s right for all of their fellow Mississippians. While they may be healthy and happy, they could put others at risk if they do not make wise decisions. Please encourage and please grant them wisdom to make wise decisions.

“Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us this day. Thank you for being with us and walking with us every step of the way during these challenging times.

“Most of all, dear Lord, thank you for sending your son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to save us from our sins.

“It is in His name that we pray. Amen.”

In closing the video, Reeves then opened his Bible one last time to reading John 3:16.

“You’ll notice it doesn’t speak to Baptists or Methodists or Pentecostals or Catholics or any other denomination,” he said.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

(Excerpt from CBN News. Article by Steve Warren.)