can you hear me now...

... not tomorrow

... or yesterday

not in three hours or last night

but now

... today

... this hour - this minute - this very second

Can you hear Me now?

Today - while it is called today - if you will - hear His voice.

How do we do this? How do we hear Him as immediately as now?

Think for a moment about a person you really, really like. One you really, really appreciate. One you enjoy and with whom you just love hanging around. One you would like to get to know better. One you love.

Consider this person feels the same way about you.

Ok, now imagine that you could somehow crawl inside this person - and this person could crawl inside you - all while remaining who you both are. Weird, I know - but think about how very close you two would be. The words 'very close' do not even come near to describing what it would be like.

Now, consider this. He really, really likes you. He appreciates you, enjoys hanging out with you. In fact, He loves you more than you know and He has made the way for Him to be in you - and for you to be in Him.

Really!

Father in Jesus, Jesus in Father... I in You and You in Me and them in Us

This understanding is nothing new. We have heard it for years. We have read the passages of scripture. Probably heard more than one sermon or teaching on it.

Christ in you the hope...

Nevertheless, have we experienced it? Have the words on the page - in the sermon - in the teaching - have those words become life to us? And in us? Has the meaning behind the words - and the transaction - become flesh and dwelt within us? Yet?

For some of us - perhaps many of us - walking in it - living in it - walking it out - living it out - is something yet to be.

Living in this closer than intimate fellowship takes learning. It does not happen overnight. We do not 'hear Him now' just like that. It takes time - it takes learning - it takes living.

It takes getting to know in an incredibly intimate [wish I could come up with a more adequate word] way, the lover of your soul.

It takes learning how to live in that love - how to live loved. Learning how to live in the relationship and fellowship of pure unadulterated, unlimited, unquenchable, unremitting, unquestioned eternal love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

It takes practicing His presence - to borrow a title from long ago.

If we want to hear His voice we can - if we will - we can.

If we will.

We can learn to live freely and fully in Him - and let Him live freely and fully in us - if we will.