Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Says U.S. in 'Urgent Need of Prayer'

Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently spoke out regarding the importance of protecting religious liberty in the U.S., saying that America is in "urgent need of prayer" to continue protecting those religious liberties.

Abbott made his comments this week at the 11th annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., where he suggested that Americans must continue to protect their religious liberties in the face of current issues, including abortion and the legalization of same-sex marriage.

The governor of Texas began by telling the story of how he became paraplegic, when he was struck by a falling tree that broke his spinal cord and left him restrained to wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Abbott said that "our prayers are answered differently than the way we expect," adding that he can recall "[spending] months praying and hoping for the best possible outcome" during his recovery.

The governor added that God "responded by giving me challenges that made me even stronger."

"Looking back, I can tell that if you have seen all that I have seen, if you have gone through all that I have gone through, you would never again question the Lord," Abbott continued. "You would never fear the valley of the shadow of death because you knew that you could palpably feel God's presence with you and you would pray with gratefulness with the connection established with God that comes through prayer."

"Have you all ever noticed how prayers increase in times of great need?" Abbott asked. "In America today, we are in a time of great need and there is an urgent need to pray now, more than ever, especially the need to pray for our religious liberties. I have heard it said that 'America did not create religious liberty but religious liberty created America.' That religious liberty is being tested by some who want to silence the faithful and purge God from the public square."