Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) father said last year on a syndicated radio program that his son decided to launch a bid for the White House after his wife, Heidi, was sent a sign from God.

In audio surfaced Monday by Mother Jones, Rafael Cruz said that he and his family spent “six months in prayer” to learn of God’s plan for his son. The “green light” finally came on a Sunday while the family and some of the senator’s staff members were at church in Houston, Texas, he recalled.

“After the church service, we all gathered at the pastor’s office,” said Cruz, who is a pastor himself. “We were on our knees for two hours seeking God’s will. At the end of that time, a word came through his wife, Heidi. And the word came, just saying, ‘Seek God’s face, not God’s hand.'”

Cruz said he then felt as if a “cloud of the Holy Spirit” had filled the room.

“Some of us were weeping, and Ted just looked up and said, ‘Lord, here am I, use me. I surrender to you, whatever you want,'” he said. “And it was as he felt that was a green light to move forward.”

Ted Cruz’s Christian faith has been a cornerstone of his presidential bid. Heidi Cruz previously has said that her husband’s presidential campaign was showing Americans “the face of the God that we serve.”

Listen below: