Bret Baier of Fox News Remembers 9/11, Says ‘Prayer Changes Things’

The events of 9/11 changed the life of Fox News anchor Bret Baier, and his book, Special Heart: A Journey of Faith, Hope, Courage and Love, tells the story of his son, Paul Francis, who was born with a heart disease.

“I believe in prayer—it provides the light at the end of the tunnel. Prayer got us through the darkest times, in particular with our son, Paul Francis,” says Baier, who also anchors Special Report With Bret Baier. The journalist adds that his favorite Bible verse is Luke 12:48b (KJV): “”For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.”

Baier was raised Catholic and became one of the first Fox News reporters hired after sending in a demo tape in 1998. But on 9/11, while working as the Fox News Atlanta bureau chief, he drove to Washington, D.C., to cover the Pentagon attack. He has worked in Washington, D.C. ever since, initially as a Pentagon correspondent, then White House correspondent and then in 2009 taking over from his mentor, Brit Hume, who rededicated his own life to Christ following the death of his son.

Baier and his wife, Amy, have two sons, and he proudly says, “They are now 10 and 13, and Paul is doing great, but he still has more surgeries ahead of him.”

As a journalist, Baier has particular advice for young people considering media. “Listen first to other people—I pray for balance on a story, and to get to the truth, weighing the scale. I don’t tell anyone what to do, but prayer is a calming force for my day. I encourage young people to learn to listen to the other side while standing up for your values.”

Having been to Afghanistan 11 times and Iraq 13 times, Baier has traveled the world and seen firsthand the difference faith makes not only for the easy times, but for life-and-death experiences.

Church was an on-again, off-again experience for Baier after college, he says. But his son Paul Francis and the way God touched their family and answered prayer played a big part in deepening both his and Amy’s faith as well as their commitment to the local church.

“We believe in the power of prayer. I am an advocate for prayer and am involved in it during normal times with our local church. People are dealing with a lot of things, and for my family, we need God.”

In a day where faith, hope, courage and love are in short supply, Baier challenges us all to do the one thing we can do that changes everything: pray.

“We pray with our boys every night that God will lead them, protect them and guide them,” Baier says. And while careful to stay neutral about his political views, his advice for the upcoming election is to pray that God will “guide the country—and give us wisdom—no matter which way people vote.”

As bestselling author of God, Trump and COVID-19 Stephen Strang says, there are many spiritual signs related to the 2020 election that the secular media would “never cover … except to ridicule.” It is a special blessing to have those who are part of the media that influences the world be men and women of prayer who see and believe in its power and pass it on to all.

In just 53 days, America will gather to decide the two paths before us. This is a time of seriousness, which, as Baier reminds us, calls for prayer for the wisdom of God to lead. {eoa}

Amir George is the author of Liberating Iraq and directs The World Helpline at theworldhelpline.org.

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