A few weeks ago, one of my best friends comically sat her husband down and explained exactly why she needed a pet peacock. She was dead serious, however, after 25 years of marriage, her husband is used to her shenanigans. He heard her out and then, much to her dismay, denied her plea. Her heart was sad; disappointment shown on her face. Then, oddly, five minutes later, there was a knock at the front door. Opening the door, my friend was met by a small boy who bounced up and down, wildly waving his arms. The little man explained that there was a peacock in my friend’s back yard. Confounded, she instructed her son to look out the back window. “Surely, not,” she thought. Even more shocked than she was her son, who spied a real peacock balanced on their fence. The entire family ran to the window and watched as the peacock strutted around and then disappeared minutes later. When the bird had gone, she grinned and thanked God for the gift. He had answered her plea. Seemingly small and silly, but very important to her, He had sent her heart’s desire, a peacock. Through the presence of the bird my friend felt the Lord’s tremendous, tender love. He understood her longings and love language. He indulgently answered her heart cry.
Recently, after a long day of fighting an emotional battle in my home, I left to pick up an item from the store. As I drove, I prayed, “Your will be done, Lord. I know you are with me in this fight, but man this is hard!” Almost immediately, I rounded a bend in the road and was shocked to see a rainbow stretched across the dark sky. Tearing up and thanking the Lord for His assurance that He was with me, I blinked twice and noticed that there was a double rainbow. Praising Him again for His abundance, a bolt of lightning shot across the sky right through both rainbows. “How about that,” I thought. “A metaphor for my life right now; the Lord and His promises are there even in the storm.” His presence was highlighted and my heart immediately settled, resting in Him, in His majesty and in His love. In Philippians 4:6-7 we are reminded of God’s lasting promise for peace, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
How many times do we feel the Lord would not care about the insignificant longings of our hearts? We wonder if what we long for is, in fact, valid, important and meaningful to God. He is a Master with a tender heart and a God of goodness and meaningful gifts. When we share our deepest longings with Him, He wants to feed our soul. Sometimes a small prayer answered is exactly what we need to feel renewed. His interest is made known through these acknowledged trivial prayers. His gifts speak of His goodness and concern.
“And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And is we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours.” 1 John 5: 14-15
Call To Act: I encourage you, sister, to begin to speak to the Lord as you would a close friend this week. Share your frustrations and needs. Ask Him to help you in areas where you struggle and sit your petitions before Him, however insignificant they seem. He cares. Placing the desires on your heart when He created you, no request is too small or silly. The Lord is always near, taking care to answer your pleas.
St. Teresa of Calcutta, Mother Angelica, and St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us that we may trust in the Lord. Ask the Lord to give us the courage to share the smallest, most trivial places in our hearts. Beg Him to reveal Himself in ways that speak to our souls. Intercede for us that we may develop an intimate union with Our Lord, beginning with raw conversations. Thank Him for creating us each so uniquely and for the individual desires of our hearts. We ask this through the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.
“Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.” Luke 18:1
The spied peacock!
This image was posted on July 8, 2025 on Facebook by WPXI Scott Harbaugh. One of his viewers, Tom Bush IV captured the image. It’s the magnificent phenomenon, rainbow lightning, that I witnessed in Northern Kentucky. Beautiful work, God!