We don't lift God up until we are brought low. We won't give to God the praise he deserves until everything that is esteemed in us is taken away from us. The Creator will receive the glorious worship he is owed when the creature appreciates he has nothing in himself and through himself but misery. In other words, God's mercy is valued best when a man knows he needs it most.John Calvin, Sermons on Ephesians,paraphrased