Small Talk with Jesus

The truth is that mighty works begin in our hearts through everyday conversation with Jesus.In a farmhouse long ago, on a rainy afternoon, I decided to bake a pie. This activity doesn't sound particularly spiritual, but everyone was out and about, and I had a rare moment of alone time to do something creative. So the pie baking commenced and filled the house with glorious aromas of yumminess. I set the pie on top of the stove to cool while I checked emails. Our three farm cats, a.k.a. the mousers, assembled themselves around me to stare at the moving images on the computer screen and periodically trample across my keyboard.In my journey with Jesus, I had recently discovered that small talk was as equally important in my relationship with Him as it was in any earthly relationship. Hearing God in the little things, learning to tune in to His still small voice for direction and following it was training ground for me to believe for bigger things. Sometimes life got busy, and taking time to develop my spiritual ears was a new adventure.However, as I pecked away at the keyboard that afternoon the last thing I thought I would hear the Lord say was, ”The cat is eating your pie!”It sounded so off the wall that I did what most people do. I ignored it. The three cats were sitting next to me, all present and accounted for, and certainly not eating my pie. After the third time hearing that message, the thought inside me was so loud that I looked around and decided to get a visual of my pie just to be safe.As I headed into the kitchen, there on the stove-top was a cat—eating my pie! Greater than the shock of finding a strange cat in my kitchen eating my pie, was the realization that God, the Creator of the universe, was so in tune with my life that He took the time to speak to me about a pie, and I could hear Him!The truth is that we can all hear God all of the time.God is constantly thinking about us and talking to us.My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27).Why is it important to be able to hear God’s voice? For many reasons, but mostly because He knows the way ahead. He knows us, our future, and the path that will most fulfill our hopes and dreams. The Holy Spirit leads us into truth, shows a way of escape in times of danger, reveals our future and purpose, convicts and teaches us, opens doors of opportunity for us, and loves us with an everlasting love.This ability to hear God was made more real to me that day of the pie fiasco, but I didn't realize how important it would prove to be until a few days later. I was driving down a hedge-­lined, country lane taking our children to school when I heard inside me, "Brake!" This time, I didn't question it. I immediately stomped on the brake, and out of a hidden farm gate, another vehicle shot in front of me. We would have collided at 60 m.p.h. if I had not stopped when I did. Listening to the Lord that day probably saved our lives.Small talk is a powerful part of developing an intimate relationship with Jesus. Take the time to talk about the little things. It is amazing what we will hear when we take time to listen.Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).