President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, addressed 12,000 Latter-day Saints at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.
In his address, delivered Oct. 20, President Ballard entreated listeners to pray for the United States, its leaders and its families.
“My dear brothers and sisters, our nation was founded on prayer, it was preserved by prayer, and we need prayer again,” he said. “I plead with you this evening to pray for this country, for our leaders, for our people, and for the families that live in this great nation founded by God.”
"Remember this country was established and preserved by our founding fathers and mothers who repeatedly acknowledged the hand of God through prayer," he continued. "This area was the seedbed of so very much that led to the founding of this nation."
President Ballard pleads with Latter-day Saints to ‘pray for this country’ as United States is at ‘another crossroad’
President Ballard's address followed a visit to Joseph Smith's birthplace in Sharon, Vermont, where he and Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified of the Restoration of the gospel.
In his address at the DCU Center, President Ballard continued by asking people everywhere to pray for the nation and to stand for righteousness.
“We must stand boldly for righteousness and truth, and must defend the cause of honor, decency, and personal freedom espoused by Washington, Madison, Adams, Lincoln, and other leaders who acknowledged and loved God. As a country, let us remember our prayers and express our love to God, our Heavenly Father and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, let it begin today.”