A Bit of Encouragment

Even the pious person cannot by his own strength desire the glory of heaven as ardently as he would.  Therefore the Spirit intercedes for us with ineffable groanings of which we are ourselves incapable….It is not an evil sign, but indeed the very best, if upon our petitions the very opposite happens to us.  Conversely, it is not a good sign if everything is granted to us for which we pray….He so often goes counter to our petitions that we imagine He is more angry with us now than before we prayed, and that He intends not to grant us our requests at all.  All this God does, because it is His way first to destroy and annihilate what is in us—our own wisdom and will—before He gives us His gifts…Only then are we qualified for His works and counsels when our own plans have been demolished and our own works are destroyed and we have become purely passive in our relation to Him.      Martin Luther (on Romans 8:26)