At a ceremony Wednesday afternoon at the Capitol as the late Rev. Billy Graham’s body was laid in honor in the Rotunda, President Donald Trump offered a tribute to “America’s Pastor,” noting that the world-renowned evangelist was the answer to a prayer made nearly 85 years ago.

He said:

“In the spring of 1934, Billy Graham’s father allowed a group of Charlotte businessmen to use a portion of the family’s dairy farm to gather for a day of prayer. On that day, the men prayed for the city. They prayed that, ‘Out of Charlotte, the Lord would raise up someone to preach the Gospel to the ends of the Earth.’

“We are here today, more than 80 years later, because that prayer was truly answered.”

The president noted that Billy Graham accepted Christ a few months later, a decision that ultimately impacted the entire world. He then told his own story of attending one of his crusades at Yankee Stadium.

The president then added:

“Everywhere he went, Reverend Graham delivered the same beautiful message: God loves you. That was his message. God loves you.

“We can only imagine the number of lives touched by the preaching and the prayers of Billy Graham—the hearts he changed, the sorrows he eased, and the joy he brought to so many. The testimony is endless.

“Today, we give thanks for this extraordinary life. And it’s very fitting that we do so right here in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol, where the memory of the American people is enshrined.”

The president concluded by urging America to “say a prayer for our country, that all across this land the Lord will raise up men and women like Billy Graham to spread a message of love and hope to every precious child of God.”