Even President Trump was at one Oval Office impromptu prayer gathering a couple weeks ago. According to the Christian Broadcasting Network, Ralph Drollinger – the founder of Capitol Ministries – leads Bible studies in both the House and the Senate and meets weekly with about a dozen members of the president’s Cabinet.

Gary Bauer of American Values has been involved in Washington circles since he served in the Reagan White House. He says the movement is even bigger than during those heady days.

“Every day, as millions of American families begin the day in prayer, here in Washington there are countless members of Congress, the White House staff, and others who are praying for God’s guidance,” he relates.

Bauer offers his explanation for the rise of the faithful in the nation’s capital. “There’s certainly more reasons to pray now than there was during the Reagan years. A lot of things have happened in the country since the 1980s.”

He continues: “I don’t want to be partisan about this, it’s just an observation, [but] the more conservatives there are in Washington, the more believers there are,” he tells OneNewsNow.

But for all the praying, the discourse in Washington these days appears anything but seasoned with grace.

“Bipartisan Bible studies might help return some degree of civility to the debate,” Bauer says, “but I really think it’s important not to lose sight of why there are such arguments in Washington – and that is because there are diametrically opposed worldviews.”

James 5:16 is pretty clear: the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Is Bauer expecting a change of tone in Washington? “We worship a God who performs miracles,” he responds.

According to CBN, regular attenders of Drollinger’s weekly Bible studies include several agency secretaries – Tom Price (Health and Human Services), Rick Perry (Energy), Betsy DeVos (Education), and Sonny Perdue (Agriculture) – and CIA director Mike Pompeo. Drollinger describes them as a “teachable” and “noble” group.