---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Chauncy Loveland
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 6
number: 11
published: 1903-09
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Chauncy Loveland, "A Prayer. A Poem", *Improvement Era* 6, no. 11 (September 1903): 815.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0611unse
  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: improvementera0611unse
start_page: 815
end_page: 815
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1903-09)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0611unse
  publication_year: 1903
  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 1903, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# A Prayer. A Poem

<!-- page:815 -->

A PRAYER                                  815

A hack was sent for, and the young woman was taken to her
home, while we returned to our homes sadder but wiser men. A
few months later, the dear young woman fell asleep in Jesus, and
never in    all   my     experience have        I   seen such an exhibition of
Christian   faith   was manifested by this poor invalid. "Why
                    as
was she not healed?" you ask.   One of the reasons was that we
had gone contrary to the counsels of the Master, who                in a reve-
lation given to the Prophet Joseph  commanded the elders "not to
boast of these thing before the world."  Yet this is what we had
done.  How could we expect the blessing? Let us confine our-
selves to the first principles of the gospel; let the elders go out as
did the Apostle Paul, professing to know nothing but Jesus Christ
and him crucified.           He, Christ, is our great examplar, and     if   we
follow in hig steps, we will never go astray.




                                    A PRAYER.



                       Oh!    my Father, strengthen me!
                              Give me thy hand;
                       Let me no longer be
                              Groping for land.
                       Teach me to see the right;
                       Help me in every fight
                       'Gainst the eternal blight
                              Satan has planned.


                       My life has been a dream,
                              Darker than bright.
                       Father! oh, let the gleam
                              Of living light
                       Into my chamber creep,
                       And there forever keep
                       Watch o'er my weary sleep
                              Through the dark night.