Invitation and initiation to prayer in Martin Luther's letters

Luther's correspondence is a source of prime importance for examining his practice of prayer. The invitation to prayer is to be found more particularly in two sub-genres: the informative letters and the letters of comfort (Trostbriefe). In the former, Luther asks his correspondents to commit themselves, by intercessory prayer, to God in the battle against Satan; Luther himself is one of the beneficiaries of this prayer. In the latter, he frequently shows the content, made up by the bible but also by his own theology, and the attitudes of prayer meant to overcome suffering and "spiritual sadness"; here Luther is a role model.