“Every one of us has ‘oops moments’ every day” Perry told hundreds of faithful packed into an Austin hotel ballroom.

“America may not forgive you for it,” Perry said, drawing laughter and applause. “But God will.”

Perry is an evangelical Christian and often attends prayer gatherings. A week before officially beginning his run for president in August, he hosted a national day of prayer that drew 30,000 to a Houston arena.

Perry has kept a relatively low profile since dropping out of the presidential race two days before the South Carolina primary in January. But he is in his element at religious events and it showed Wednesday, with the relaxed and self-effacing governor playing to a sympathetic crowd that frequently interrupted him with cries of “Amen!”

His speech kicked off state celebrations of the National Day of Prayer a day early. The annual event, held on the first Thursday of May, attracts people of all faiths who pray for the country. It was created in 1952 by a resolution in Congress, and signed into law by President Harry Truman.

Perry also presented a proclamation formally recognizing May 3 as Texas Day of Prayer. Organizers of the breakfast promised mass prayer events statewide on Thursday.

“You’ve been given free will but it’s God’s will that we seek every day in our private lives, in our public lives and as a nation,” Perry said. “National Day of Prayer is our way of saying that we require God in every facet of our lives, not just in our public lives and certainly not in just our private lives.”

He also urged the gathering to pray for President Barack Obama, drawing another burst of “Amens!”

“Let’s pray for our president, for his wisdom,” Perry said. “I pray that God pierces his heart.”