Perry Prays for God to Light Obama's Way & 'Give Him Wisdom' During SC Prayer Rally

GREENVILLE, S.C. (The Blaze/AP) -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry is taking a pause from partisan campaigning in South Carolina to pray for President Barack Obama's safety and wisdom.

Perry spoke Tuesday night at a large, Greenville, S.C. prayer gathering called "The Response" -- a spinoff of the event that Perry held in Texas last year. He made no direct mention of the GOP presidential contest or of Saturday's primary during his 10 minutes on stage.

“His agenda’s not a political agenda. He’s smarter than that. He’s smart enough, wise enough not to get involved with any political affiliation or any institution that man has made," Perry said of God. "He understands the imperfections of those. But he’s calling all of us, Americans of all walks of life, to be here tonight to pray for this country."

Perry also led a prayer in which he asked God to grant safety to "our president" and his family. He also said that "we pray that you light his way" in dealing with national issues.

“Father we pray for our president. We pray for his family. We pray for the safety of his family. We pray that you light his way," he said. "We pray that you give him wisdom as he deals with the issues that he faces."

Perry walked on stage without being introduced. Some in the audience seemed surprised to see him although his campaign had announced his plans earlier.

The Blaze previously covered a huge prayer rally that Perry led last year in Houston to pray for America.