Hope and healing for America this Thanksgiving as Trump prepares to take office

As President-elect Donald Trump assembles his caller Cabinet, Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church successful Dallas, Texas, has a connection not conscionable of hope and healing arsenic the federation moves guardant aft the statesmanlike predetermination but besides for Thanksgiving and the full vacation season.

"We did person a precise contentious election," Jeffress told Fox News Digital successful an exclusive on-camera video. (See the video astatine the apical of this article.)

"We've had galore contentious elections passim history. But I deliberation present that the predetermination is over, present that President Trump has been re-elected, I truly consciousness connected some sides of the aisle there's a tendency to travel unneurotic and get thing affirmative done for the country," said the religion person who is known nationwide. 

BIBLE BELIEVING CHRISTIANS WERE KEY TO TRUMP'S VICTORY, AMERICAN FAITH LEADER BELIEVES

"And I consciousness a precise upbeat tone with President Trump," said Jeffress. 

"I talked to him a fewer days ago, and helium is focused, nary uncertainty astir it, connected his docket that helium ran on."

Pastor Robert Jeffress, astatine left, with President Donald Trump during the archetypal Trump administration. Said Jeffress of Trump this week, "He's highly upbeat astir the aboriginal of the country." (Olivier Douliery/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

And "he's highly upbeat and affirmative astir the aboriginal of the country." 

Added Jeffress, "You know, I deliberation radical who disquieted oregon [even] heard that, if he's elected, he's going to make this dystopian theocracy that's going to oppress radical — I don't deliberation immoderate of that is true."

HUMANITY CALLED TO 'COMPLETE,' NOT 'COMPETE' WITH EACH OTHER, SAYS VIRGINIA PASTOR

"I've seen and I've known the president for 10 years," helium continued. "And I deliberation helium is capable to transcend governmental differences and capable to enactment connected what's champion for America. So I anticipation each Americans will commune for him and springiness him a accidental to bash what helium promised to do."

"That's the cardinal to having that bosom of gratitude — uncovering the bully things to ore on."

Will Jeffress counsel Trump successful immoderate ceremonial mode connected religion oregon supplication matters arsenic the caller medication prepares to instrumentality office?

The pastor responded, "Back successful 2016, erstwhile President Trump ran for the archetypal time, his run created a spiritual advisers committee. Once helium won that 2016 election, that ended and it morphed into a much informal radical of radical who talked with the president erstwhile helium requested that." 

AMERICA'S COMBAT CHAPLAINS OF ‘ALL FAITHS’ ARE THE FOCUS OF NEW FILM 

Added Jeffress, "So I deliberation that volition continue. I've known President Trump, arsenic I said, for 10 years, and we've been friends. And we enactment successful predominant interaction either done substance oregon telephone calls. 

"And I look guardant to that relationship continuing for galore years," helium said.

President-elect Trump arrives to talk during an predetermination nighttime lawsuit astatine the Palm Beach Convention Center connected Nov. 6, 2024 successful West Palm Beach, Florida.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

This Thanksgiving, the pastor said his connection for each "would truly beryllium God's connection from Scripture. It's recovered successful I Thessalonians 5:18, successful which Paul said, ‘In everything we should springiness thanks.’"

Jeffress went on, "Most radical don't cognize that the first proclamation for Thanksgiving was issued by Abraham Lincoln successful 1863, close successful the mediate of the Civil War erstwhile our federation was being torn apart. 

"Lincoln said, ‘There are immoderate things we should beryllium grateful for.’ And I deliberation that's the cardinal to having that bosom of gratitude — uncovering the bully things to ore on."

As millions of Americans observe Thanksgiving this week, a noted pastor reminds radical of the request to enactment grateful for a myriad of blessings.  (iStock)

The pastor noted that adjacent though the federation has gone done a tense and divisive predetermination season, "we should beryllium grateful that we had the accidental to take our leaders."

Yes, "there are economical hardships that galore families are facing" — nary uncertainty astir that, helium noted. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

"But the information is the mean household of 4 making $50,000 a twelvemonth is wealthier than 89% of the remainder of the world." 

And yes, portion "there are hurricanes and floods, those are the exceptions astir of the time," helium said.

Americans tin beryllium grateful, said Jeffress, "that we had the accidental to take our leaders." (Ildar Abulkhanov)

"There are truthful galore things we tin beryllium thankful for. And I cognize radical sometimes accidental to me, 'Pastor, I don't feel thankful.' Well, I person recovered that it's a batch easier to ‘act yourself’ into a feeling than to ‘feel yourself’ into an action." 

After all, helium added, "there's a crushed this vacation is called Thanksgiving — and not Thanks-feeling."

For much Lifestyle articles, sojourn www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

He besides said, "God is successful power of everything that happens, and we tin spot successful that. And I would besides conscionable punctual Christians, especially, that the Bible teaches that government's work is to permission america unsocial arsenic we signifier our faith."

"God is successful power of everything that happens, and we tin spot successful that."

He added, "We're ne'er going to bring astir spiritual alteration done government. It's not government's occupation oregon quality to alteration the hearts of people. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ tin bash that. And that's thing we person to practice."

Jeffress is elder pastor of his 16,000-member religion successful Dallas and is a Fox News contributor. 

His regular vigor program, "Pathway to Victory," is heard connected much than 1,400 stations nationwide.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

His play tv programme is seen successful 195 countries astir the world, including Fox Nation. 

He is the writer of astir 30 books. 

Sydney Borchers and Brooke Singman, some of Fox News Digital, contributed reporting.