--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Whittier, John G. collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 3 number: 3 published: 1900-01 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'John G. Whittier, "My Prayer: A Poem," *Improvement Era* 3, no. 3 (January 1900): 208.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera33unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera33unse start_page: 208 end_page: 208 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1900-01) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera33unse publication_year: 1900 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1900, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # My Prayer: A Poem 208 IMPROVEMENT ERA. more difficult, there would be such a gap between us and them that they would be meaningless to us and therefore useless. What then? Was it a futile promise that we should inherit eternal lives in the Celestial glory? By no means. That is our destiny. We shall become like unto God when we have bridged the gap between us and God by self-effort guided and directed by his Holy Spirit— in short by doing just such unostentatious duties and making just such unheralded sacrifices as are daily required of us in this life. It may take us a long while to reach this goal; but let us not forget that potentially we are in Heaven from the moment we start toward it: and at any stage in our journey toward the Celestial Heaven we are in the highest glory and most perfect bliss that the universe can at that moment afford us. But we shall yet reach a higher and more perfect outer Heaven as day by day we build a more perfect inner Heaven, for there is no end to time, nor space, nor progress. MY PRAYER. If there be some weaker one, Give me strength to help him on; If a blinder soul there be, Let me guide him nearer thee. Make my mortal dreams come true With the work I fain would do; Clothe with life the weak intent, Let me be the thing I meant; Let me find in thy employ Peace that dearer is than joy; Out of self to love be led, And to heaven acclimated, Until all things sweet and good Seem my nature's habitude. John G. Whittibr.