Governor Kay Ivey made an official proclamation Monday calling on Alabamians to pray for the state and the nation ahead of the 2024 elections being held on Tuesday. Ivey writes in her proclamation that prayer is important because those elected to office need God’s guidance.
“Whereas in Alabama, we devoutly recognize the supreme authority and just government of Almighty God in all affairs of men and nations,” Ivey writes. “Whereas, this recognition is embodied in the preamble to our Alabama Constitution, with the invocation of that ‘favor and guidance of Almighty God’ and its oath of office directing state officials to call on God’s help as they enter public office.”
The governor has proclaimed days of prayer in the past, including annually on the national Day of Prayer in May. Today, Ivey made clear that this specific proclamation is about the election.
“Now, therefore, I, Kay Ivey, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim November 4, 2024, as a Day of Prayer in the state of Alabama ahead of the General Election of November 5, 2024. I ask the people of Alabama to pray for our state and nation.”
The full proclamation can be read below:
WHEREAS, in Alabama, we devoutly recognize the supreme authority and just government of Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations; and
WHEREAS, this recognition is embodied in the preamble to our Alabama Constitution, with its invocation of the “favor and guidance of Almighty God” and its oath of office directing state officials to call on God’s help as they enter public office; and
WHEREAS, this recognition is further embodied in the Alabama Constitution’s array of protections for religious liberty, among them its declaration that “every person shall be at liberty to worship God according to the dictates of his or her own conscience”; and
WHEREAS, the tradition of designating a day of prayer for our nation dates back to the Second Continental Congress before the Declaration of Independence; and
WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln expressed in a proclamation in March 1863 that it is the duty of nations to acknowledge our dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess our corporate sins and transgressions, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon for our state and nation; and
WHEREAS, President Lincoln went on to recognize the importance of humbling ourselves before the Lord of the universe, confessing our sins, and to praying for divine guidance. I echo that importance as we approach the national and state elections of November 5, 2024;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Kay Ivey, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim November 4, 2024, as a Day of Prayer in the state of Alabama ahead of the General Election of November 5, 2024. I ask the people of Alabama to pray for our state and nation.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
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