---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Lauritzen, Annie G.
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 7
number: 4
published: 1904-02
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'Annie G. Lauritzen, "A Prayer," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 4 (February 1904): 302.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0704unse
  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: improvementera0704unse
start_page: 302
end_page: 302
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-02)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0704unse
  publication_year: 1904
  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 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# A Prayer

<!-- page:302 -->

302 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
life 
        is 
        commendable 
        and 
        praiseworthy, 
        but 
        how 
        expansive 
        will 
        be
our 
        sphere 
        of 
        doing 
        more 
        good 
        when 
        we 
        enter 
        upon 
        those 
        religious
activities 
        consequent 
        upon 
        preaching 
        the 
        gospel 
        of 
        the 
        Son 
        of 
        God
to 
        the 
        spirits 
        in 
        prison, 
        in 
        the 
        other 
        world! 
        Human 
        conception
fails 
        to 
        conceive 
        of 
        those 
        sublime 
        experiences 
        of 
        missionary 
        life 
        in
that 
        broad 
        field 
        of 
        religious 
        labor 
        of 
        love. 
        The 
        benign 
        influence
of 
        the 
        spirit 
        of 
        love 
        will 
        fill 
        each 
        breast, 
        and 
        joy 
        will 
        succeed 
        joy
as 
        the 
        honest-in-heart 
        accept 
        from 
        the 
        servants 
        of 
        God 
        the 
        gospel
of 
        emancipation 
        and 
        eternal 
        life.
Blessed 
        are 
        they 
        of 
        good 
        will, 
        who 
        enjoy 
        the 
        exalted 
        privilege
of 
        becoming 
        saviors 
        upon 
        Mount 
        Zion 
        in 
        these 
        last 
        days, 
        and 
        to
minister 
        in 
        a 
        holy 
        temple 
        for 
        the 
        salvation 
        and 
        exaltation 
        of 
        their
kindred 
        dead. 
        How 
        grand 
        is 
        the 
        performance 
        of 
        this 
        noble 
        mis-
sion! What 
        mighty 
        results 
        follow 
        the 
        work 
        engaged 
        in! 
        Our
finite 
        minds 
        cannot 
        grasp 
        in 
        its 
        fulness 
        the 
        intensity 
        of 
        joy 
        ex-
perienced by 
        those 
        administered 
        for, 
        and 
        it 
        seems 
        to 
        the 
        writer
that 
        eternity 
        alone 
        can 
        reveal 
        it! 
        George 
        W. 
        Crocheron.
A 
        PRAYER.
(^FoT 
        the 
        Improvement 
        Era.)
Look 
        down 
        on 
        me, 
        dear 
        Savior, 
        who 
        rules 
        in 
        realms 
        above,
And 
        fill 
        me 
        with 
        humility, 
        with 
        patience 
        and 
        with 
        love;
Consider 
        all 
        my 
        sutferings, 
        oh 
        thou 
        who 
        suffered 
        most,
Who 
        died 
        for 
        our 
        salvation, 
        that 
        we 
        might 
        not 
        be 
        lost.
Raise 
        Ihou 
        me 
        up 
        from 
        suffering, 
        help 
        me 
        to 
        do 
        thy 
        will,
Help 
        me 
        to 
        serve 
        thee 
        ever, 
        my 
        mission 
        to 
        fulfil.
Oh, 
        be 
        thou 
        ever 
        near 
        me, 
        my 
        constant 
        Friend 
        and 
        Guide;
Help 
        me 
        to 
        do 
        thy 
        bidding, 
        and 
        in 
        thy 
        ways 
        abide.
I 
        ask 
        thee 
        not 
        for 
        riches 
        to 
        canker 
        and 
        to 
        gall;
I 
        ask 
        for 
        strength 
        to 
        serve 
        thee; 
        for 
        wisdom 
        more 
        than 
        all.
1 
        ask 
        not 
        strength 
        to 
        follow 
        the 
        paths 
        of 
        worldly 
        pride,
But 
        Virtue, 
        Truth 
        and 
        Honor,
        —
        let 
        these 
        in 
        me 
        abide.
Despising 
        worldly 
        pleasure 
        with 
        boasted 
        pomp 
        and 
        show,
I 
        ask 
        for 
        heavenly 
        treasures, 
        to 
        do, 
        to 
        be, 
        to 
        know.
To 
        do 
        my 
        best 
        to 
        serve 
        thee, 
        to 
        be 
        a 
        soldier 
        true;
To 
        know 
        thy 
        will 
        concerning 
        the 
        course 
        I 
        should 
        pursue.
Oh, 
        let 
        thy 
        Holy 
        Spirit 
        be 
        with 
        me 
        every 
        hour.
To 
        teach 
        me 
        all 
        my 
        duty; 
        keep 
        me 
        from 
        Satan's 
        power.
Annie 
        G. 
        Lauritzen.