I Appeal to You
... through Bertha Dudde  - 17.01.1945 

3408   The inner Word during the time of affliction ....

During the time of affliction, you will clearly and distinctly hear the voice of the spirit as long as you uphold your contact with God and desire to hear Him. He will not withdraw His gift of grace, He will convey it ever more abundantly for He knows what you require, He knows that you need comfort and support and that only He can offer these to you. The more closely you join Him the more He will endow you with His Word, with His love, which He manifests in the Word. And you will not be so harshly affected by the affliction, for God Himself will lift you up and above the misery. He can give you a joyful heart despite the external adversity, he will make you modest and patient, so that you will not miss anything and only desire that He will reveal Himself to you, that He will speak to you and that you receive His grace .... And He will grant you this desire, He will sharpen your spiritual ear and you will hear His voice wherever you are and at all times. And the spiritual nourishment will make you more profoundly happy than any earthly fulfilment. Your body will be content with little, you will no longer pay attention to it, yet your soul will be abundantly cared for and will never need to starve.

And if you are faced by earthly adversity it will no longer discourage you, because you will be able to take it to the One Who promised His help to you because He loves you like a Father loves His children. The time of affliction need therefore not frighten you if you consider yourselves His children and communicate with Him from the bottom of your heart. He will answer you and you will hear His voice in your heart, and what He tells you will lift you up and make you happy, it will make you strong and confident, it will silence all your worries and troubles, for you will be able to gain profound and unshakable faith, because you will be taught by God’s spirit and His voice will affect you like a fatherly word of encouragement which you will never ever doubt. And your heart will rejoice because you recognise the loving Father, Who deems you worthy of His voice. Your spiritual progress will let you forget everything, you will endure whatever suffering and deprivations the body has to put up with, for your body will become less sensitive the more spiritualised the soul becomes .... The soul, however, will rejoice once it has reached the goal of sensing God and hearing His voice as often as it desires ....

Amen