A pastor’s opening prayer in the Virginia House of Delegates was interrupted as he began praying for protection over unborn babies and traditional marriage.
Rev. Dr. Robert M. Grant Jr., senior pastor of The Father’s Way Church, opened by sharing with the delegates three words God had laid on his heart.
“Before I start this prayer, I want to give you three words that the Lord gave me to give to you,” he said. “And those words were ‘consider,’ ‘confer’ and then ‘speak up.'”
He then began praying over the House legislators, that they would pass laws that would protect biblical values such as the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and racial equality. If Virginia did not protect these values, he said, the state would incur the wrath of God.
“Biblical history is very clear,” he said. “His wrath upon the earth is documented. We are not exempt. We are not exempt. If He does not grant us mercy for the atrocities that are being done, we will eventually encounter the judgement of the Almighty God, and may He have mercy on us all.
“I pray that you may understand that all life is precious and worthy of a chance to be born. God is a giver of life and people have no right or authority to take life. The unborn has rights, and those rights need to be protected. They should never be denied the right to exist, the right to develop or the right to have a family. The Word of God has given us a warning: Woe to any of those who harms an innocent child.
“… I pray that this chamber will uphold the Virginia family. That the bills and laws being passed will always protect the biblical traditional marriage as God instructed the first man and the first woman in the Bible.”
But Democratic lawmakers were not happy with Grant’s prayer, reports the Western Journal. Some reportedly heckled the pastor and walked out during the prayer.
One heckler even allegedly interrupted the prayer, asking whether Grant was giving a prayer or a sermon.
When Grant began speaking about the danger of not protecting traditional marriage, Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn banged her gavel to cut off the six-minute prayer and began reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Normally, pastors submit their prayers in advance, but the Advocate reports this did not happen with Grant. Del. Michael Webert, a Republican, invited Grant to pray.
Watch Grant’s full prayer in this article.
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