Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who delivered the Republican response to President Biden’s joint address to Congress on Wednesday, closed by quoting lyrics from a worship song he said has helped him through the last year, with words drawn from Scripture.
“So I am more than hopeful — I am confident — that our finest hour is yet to come,” the Republican senator said as he reached the conclusion of his speech. “Original sin is never the end of the story. Not in our souls, and not for our nation. The real story is always redemption.”
“I am standing here because my mom has prayed me through some very tough times,” he continued. “I believe our nation has succeeded the same way: Because generations of Americans, in their own ways, have asked for grace, and God has supplied it.”
“So I will close with a word from a worship song that really helped me through this past year of COVID. The music is new, but the words draw from Scripture,” he said, quoting the lyrics:
[May] the Lord bless you and keep you,
Make His face shine upon you
And be gracious to you…
May His presence go before you,
And behind you, and beside you…
In your weeping and your rejoicing,
He is with you…
May His favor be upon [our nation], for a thousand generations
And your family… and your children…
And their children.
Listen:
“Good night, and God bless the United States of America,” Scott concluded his speech.