After Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt by turning his head mere seconds before the would-be fatal shot, pastors are calling on him to recognize the hand of God in sparing his life. Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Southern California addressed the attempt on Trump’s life during his Sunday sermon and called on Trump to submit his life to God. “Mr. President, if you’re watching this right now, your right ear was bloodied. It wasn’t your eye that got shot. It wasn’t your nose that got shot. It wasn’t your temple that was intended to be shot. Your ear was hit, but we would like and pledge and pray that you might bow your knee before the Lord Almighty and say, not only did God do this, because I know Mr. President you said that today that God protected me,” said Hibbs. “This has been a warning by Almighty God that your ear might be sanctified. Will you hear this? Can you hear this? Listen to the Word of God. Stop talking about God and come to know God. It makes all the difference in the world,” admonished Hibbs.Trump has often cited God and the Bible, yet some of his harsh rhetoric, coupled with his multiple affairs and language, has made it difficult for some evangelicals to support him. Other pastors across the country mirrored Hibbs’s words, acknowledging God’s providence in Trump’s survival. Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship released a statement after the assassination attempt. “One of the bullets grazed the ear of Donald Trump, and it was nothing short of miraculous that he survived as the bullet passed mere millimeters from a fatal impact,” wrote Laurie. He later added, “We often speak of someone ‘dodging a bullet,’ but for President Trump, this became reality. We thank God he was spared and pray for his complete recovery.”

How the near-death experience will impact the former president and his campaign remains to be seen. The start of the Republican National Convention (RNC), which a bandaged Trump attended in his first public appearance since the shooting, focused more on unity and for the most part avoided the hyperbolic rhetoric that has defined both campaigns. In his first statement right after the shooting, Trump acknowledged the hand of God in saving his life. “Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He called on his supporters to “stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win.”