Faith on the Frontlines: Praying for Election Day

On Monday, November 7, 2022, Faith in Public Life hosted a virtual prayer vigil during which a multifaith and multiracial coalition united to pray for a safe and certified election. MWEG Co-Executive Director Emma Petty Addams was invited to represent our members and gave remarks that spoke to our commitment to the “voice of the people.” The video can be found here, and the full text can be found below.

In the Book of Mormon, a text sacred to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a righteous king named Mosiah instituted democracy among his people. He said:

“Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law — to do your business by the voice of the people“ (Mosiah 29:26).

It is this trust in human beings’ moral intuition and reasoning that motivates our commitment to free elections and the right of every person to have their voice be counted. We join our faith with yours and lift our voices with this great cloud of witnesses. We pray that the God who gave us life and freedom will be with us in preserving liberty for all of God’s children. We ask God’s favor to be with voters and organizers, with election workers and state officials charged with the task of gathering and counting the expression of the people’s will.

Again in the words of Mosiah: “[L]et us be wise and look forward to these things, and do that which will make for the peace of this people” (Mosiah 29:10).

We ask God’s blessing on all of us, after the work of the election is finished, that we will be able to put aside hostility and seek the common good. May the God “who . . . has broken down the middle wall of partition between us” sustain us in our common humanity and help us build the lasting peace whose foundations are laid in justice.