Luther's Anfechtung and Renewal - Lutheran (Isaiah 40:31)

Martin Luther experienced what he called Anfechtung—spiritual attacks of doubt, depression, and despair. Even after his breakthrough on grace, dark periods returned. How did he endure? Not by positive thinking but by waiting on God's Word: singing hymns, reciting Scripture, receiving communion. "Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength"—the waiting is active, sacramental, word-saturated. Luther didn't fight his battles alone; he returned again and again to the means of grace. Renewal came through God's gifts, not his efforts.