Christian business owner prays over Trump, sees hurricane as catalyst for community healing
'God can show Himself strong in the midst of darkness'
SWANNANOA, N.C. — The local business owner who prayed over former President Donald Trump during his Monday press conference amid the storm wreckage in western North Carolina said God has used the disaster of Helene to unite a divided community.
Mike Stewart, whose construction business Pine View Buildings lost about 70 of its utility structures in the torrent of the Swannanoa River last month, also told The Christian Post he believes God gave him the opportunity to invoke wisdom and blessing on the former president in the waning weeks of a tumultuous campaign season.
“It was amazing,” he said. "I didn't expect any opportunity to do that. I didn't even expect we'd have an opportunity for him to be here. So, to me, it was ordained. I got up early this morning and prayed, and knew I'd have a chance to speak and maybe an opportunity to pray, and they approved it."
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“I was really honored that his campaign crew, the people who were with him, were willing for him to have prayer.”
After Trump's black SUV steered into the cratered, muddy lot of a small auto repair shop along the debris-lined US Route 70, Stewart stood with a group of dignitaries and other devastated locals who flanked the former president as he delivered remarks to reporters from a makeshift wooden podium.
After somberly criticizing the federal disaster response while praising the resilience of western North Carolinians, Trump invited those behind him to say a few words. When he was offered the podium, Stewart spoke directly to Trump, expressing his belief that Trump is "a warrior" whose "indomitable spirit" amid an onslaught of attacks would inspire a community struggling to rebuild.
After Trump embraced him, Stewart went on to pray over him, thanking God for raising him up in this season while also asking that He would give Trump "a spirit of wisdom, understanding and insight as he moves to lead this nation back to greatness. "
North Carolina man who lost his business in Hurricane Helene gives a powerful prayer alongside President Trump:
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 21, 2024
"I believe that you can serve as a great inspiration to this community right now... I think God's given you an indomitable spirit..." pic.twitter.com/9bnZ4AZ3ji
Speaking to CP shortly after Trump's motorcade left down the dust-strewn highway, Stewart said he believes the country's political battles amid the upcoming presidential election have thrown good and evil into stark relief.
“It's a battle between good and evil, that's how I see it,” he said. "I don't like to label people, but we all know that there are forces that move through people and through groups."
Conceding he understands why many might not appreciate Trump's brash personality, he reiterated his conviction that the nature of the evil facing the nation requires "a warrior" who is willing to resist it.
“I don't want someone in that position who isn't capable of fighting, capable of standing up,” he said.
Stewart, a former pastor, also noted God's ability to draw good from evil, but dismissed accusations that God is to blame for catastrophes such as Helene.
“I see it as a work of darkness,” he said of the hurricane's devastation, which continues to litter his small community about 10 miles east of Asheville. “But God can show himself strong in the midst of darkness.”
He maintained that local Christians have come together in the wake of the storm, remembering the first people in the community to link arms and help each other were local church groups and Christian business owners who were decked out in clothing adorned with Scripture.
“They were praying for each other, and they just poured in here because of the love of God,” he said. When a friend recently asked him where Jesus was amid the suffering, he replied that he "saw Jesus on an excavator over there and I saw Jesus on a skid steer over here, because it's the Body of Christ."
“He said we'll do greater things,” Stewart continued, referencing the words of Jesus in John 14:12 . "Well, these are the greater things: when the Body comes together in unity and forgets the denominational labels where we set up our own little camps and don't get together."
“He broke all that down here,” he added. "So what the enemy meant for harm, God was turning around for good. And this community, which never spoke to each other and was so divided, is coming together."
Stewart grew emotional recounting how the storm changed his relationship with his own neighbor, who ran a competing business across the street that was also wiped out.
"We hadn't spoken in years; I'd wave at him, but he wouldn't wave back," he said. “The day after the storm, he pulls up, walks across the street, throws his arms around me and cries.”
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
