They cannot know that I am already a father, but, this side of eternity, I won’t ever meet my child because of a miscarriage.

Today’s advice for the anxious and worried would have likely horrified Luther.

While most of his letters were written as semi-private counsel and consolation, some, like the “Letter to the Christians of Miltenburg” were written openly for public consumption.

For Luther, Jesus does something much better for those who grieve than simply identify with them: He brings suffering and evil to an end in His own death.

As usual, Luther took what he received and turned it inside-out, so that it shifted from a series of demands and became a bestowal of God’s gracious promise.

At the core of Luther’s advice is the proclamation that we are free to hand over our pain, our sin, and our inabilities to our Savior.