God Heard My Prayer —
The Goose Came Back With a Family
Before We Begin
This is a continuation of a moment where God met me in a place of feeling unseen.
Before this was a story about a goose, it was a story about prayer.
I had been sitting on the dock alone, grieving the loss of my whole world, and
confessing my heart to God:
“Lord, I feel lonely & not even seen.”
And God answered me in a way I could not have planned.
👉 Read the beginning here:
God Sent Me a Goose — When You Feel Unseen, God Sees You
When God Answers in the Moment
Sometimes God answers in a way that is so personal, only your heart
fully understands what He did.
That day, He did not just send me a baby goose.
He answered the lie that I was unseen.
He reminded me that He saw me, He heard me, and
He loved me right where I was.
“And before they call, I will answer;
and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”
— Isaiah 65:24
When God Continues the Story
As I remember, although I was overwhelmed with joy to see this new birth of life,
my first words were,
“What are we going to do with a baby goose?”
And we smiled and even laughed, knowing we have a responsibility now.
The boys took over from there.
We knew we had to keep it warm until it gained its strength.
One of the first things I told them was,
“It might not make it—but we have to give it its best chance at life.”
The boys knew just what to do.
All four of them took off to the house to make a nest box.
They had gathered feathers from the original nest.
All 6 of the 7 eggs had hatched, and this one had been left behind—
for assumed and certain death—unless someone intervened.
I believe God led them there that specific day.
Daniel had already known about the nest.
A couple of weeks before, he had taken me to see it:
“Mom, do you want to see?”
And I said, “Yes, absolutely.”
We stood there marveling at a nest full of seven large goose eggs.
The boys created a place for this baby goose to live.
They used a heating pad underneath,
carefully layering everything so it would not get too hot and harm it.
When I came back and saw what they had done, I was amazed.
They had created a little home—
a place where this baby goose had the best chance to live.
In that moment, I saw it again:
God had answered my prayer.
Not just once—but again.
He filled me with His presence, reminding me that
I was known, seen, and loved.
And this story is to tell you—
the same God loves you too.
The next day, I didn’t know what I would find.
The goose looked lifeless.
We had given it food, love, and attention…
but the rest—we left to God and the life He created.
When Daniel came to look, I told him,
“It doesn’t look like it’s going to make it.”
But then—it moved.
Then it moved again.
And slowly, it began to gain strength.
Over time, it began to eat… and grow…
just like geese are created to do.
Then came another fear.
We learned that we were not supposed to raise a baby goose.
We didn’t know that.
We weren’t even supposed to feed it.
And now I was afraid—
had we done something wrong?
But in that moment, I was reminded:
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
And God, in His kindness, brought peace
through wisdom and truth.
Fear tried to speak… but God answered again.
I reached out to Becky, a friend who loves Jesus and helps animals.
God used her to calm my heart.
She asked simple questions:
“Was it abandoned?”
“Was it going to die without your help?”
And then she said,
“You did nothing wrong.”
And I smiled.
That’s when I started calling the goose “Duck.”
And we named it Fireball.
From the beginning, the plan was always the same:
To return this goose to the wild.
As it grew, it outgrew its nest…
then its container…
And eventually, we bought a chicken coop.
Not to cage it—
but to protect it while it grew strong enough to live free.
We loved that baby goose.
We sat with it while it ate grass.
It began to see us as family.
Maddie, our Golden Retriever,
and even a kitten we later rescued—
we were all part of its world.
There were so many moments.
Kayaking with Maddie… and the goose swimming right beside us.
Neighbors would ask,
“Does the goose really follow you?”
Yes. Every time.
Right beside the kayak.
I would take the goose to other families of geese.
I would hold it up and say,
“Here is your baby… come and see her.”
I even tried placing it near other families in the water—
hoping they would accept it.
But every time, it swam right back to me.
We were bonded.
And through it all…
there was something deeper in my heart.
A desire.
Not just for it to live—
But for it to truly be free.
The Heart Behind the Prayer
I wanted to see the first flight.
I watched and waited and expected…
and God knew my heart.
We watched the feathers grow and mature.
We watched it hop,
practicing what it might be to take off in flight.
Then one day, while I was getting the house ready for the grandbabies to come,
I had finished and was heading back in to get myself ready.
And the Spirit of the Lord spoke clearly in that place within us
where we hear His voice:
“Why don’t you clean up the trampoline first?”
I thought, that is a great idea,
and turned to take care of that one last thing I hadn’t even thought of.
As I finished and came around the corner…
I saw it.
The Lord had just allowed me to see the first flight of our baby goose.
God knew that was the desire of my heart.
And it was beautiful.
The flight began in the middle of our yard…
and it flew all the way down, out over the lake—
and landed like a professional.
It was absolutely perfect.
And I thanked the Lord.
Because He didn’t just let me witness life—
He let me witness fulfillment.
There was another moment too.
While we were in the middle of other things,
my mom and I were both there when the goose flew right past us.
So close we could feel the wind.
So close we could hear the strength of its wings.
And in that moment, I felt something deeper.
The presence.
The power.
The fullness of what God had created this goose to be.
And it made me think of us.
There is a strength in us—
placed there by God—
that we don’t fully understand while we are still growing.
There is a purpose forming…
a life being shaped…
a calling we are learning to walk in.
Just like that goose had to grow into flight…
we grow into who God created us to be.
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.”
— Isaiah 40:31
What I saw that day was more than a goose flying.
It was a picture.
Of strength that comes in time.
Of growth that cannot be rushed.
Of a life becoming what God designed it to be.
God Finishes What He Starts
I began moving the coop closer to the lake and farther from the house.
It didn’t belong with us.
It belonged wild and free.
When it was still young, and I was still processing grief,
I remember sitting outside with tears…
thinking about this goose feeling abandoned.
It was its first night outside.
And I refused to leave it alone.
So Maddie and I sat with it—
just to let it know it wasn’t by itself.
Looking back now, I see something deeper.
God was comforting me too.
I had lost my husband…
and I felt alone in a way I didn’t know how to explain.
But neither of us was alone.
And maybe you need to hear that today too.
God is faithful in His time.
It is healing to process grief with Him—
because He is not just part of our healing…
He is the One who heals.
Scripture
“He healeth the broken in heart, and
bindeth up their wounds.”
— Psalm 147:3
“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart;
and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
— Psalm 34:18
Every day, I would watch the geese take notice.
Our little one would stay near the edge of the water—
close enough to be seen…
but still running back to the coop for safety.
I was hopeful.
And sometimes disappointed.
Because every time the geese came near…
it would run and hide.
But one day… something changed.
I watched as our goose began walking toward the flock.
Closer… and closer.
I thought, this is it.
Then one goose stepped forward.
And I thought—
could this be the mate I asked God for?
But instead… it chased Fireball away.
And I felt that disappointment.
Thinking, maybe…
this isn’t going to happen.
Maybe we have a goose forever.
But God wasn’t finished.
One day, we noticed a single goose returning.
Again… and again.
There was something about it.
They seemed drawn to each other—
in a way I couldn’t explain.
Over three days, they grew closer.
The first day, we accidentally scared it off.
The second day, they stayed near each other.
And the third day… we had to leave.
When we came back…
Our goose was gone.
That day, I didn’t really want to see anyone.
But I ended up sitting on the dock again.
And Rene came over.
And we had such a sweet visit.
God let her see what I missed.
She told me about the second goose…
how they had come together…
and that they must have flown away… together.
Later, I saw the geese flying in formation.
That perfect “V” across the sky.
And I said,
“Bye, Fireball… way to go. You fly on.”
We were so happy.
Because it had found its place.
Its family.
The life it was created to live.
And in that moment, I saw it clearly:
God didn’t just answer my prayer.
He fulfilled it.
Scripture
“Being confident of this very thing,
that He which hath begun a good work in you
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
— Philippians 1:6
“And before they call, I will answer;
and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”
— Isaiah 65:24
Before this moment passes,
I want to make something clear.
It was never the goose.
And it is not the dove, or any sign, or any created thing.
It is God.
God, in His kindness, uses what He has made
to get our attention—
to help us see what has been there all along.
That we are known.
That we are loved.
That we are not alone.
He can use anything.
A donkey.
A person.
A dove.
A cloud.
Even a goose.
Not because those things are the answer—
but because He is.
And in all of it, He is drawing our focus off of ourselves…
and back to Jesus.
“We love Him, because He first loved us.”
— 1 John 4:19
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.”
— 1 John 4:16
Jesus said,
“I was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat:
I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink…
I was naked, and ye clothed Me…”
— Matthew 25:35–36
What we do in love matters.
Because love is how God reveals Himself—
to us, and through us.
So if something in this story has touched your heart…
don’t stop at the goose.
Let it lead you to the One who sees you.
It is not the goose.
It is not the dove.
It is God.
This is the same truth I shared in another teaching—
that it is not the sign, but the One who gives life.
👉 Read more here: When We Reach Our Limit ...
From the Egg to the Bird — Understanding Life in Christ
🎥 Watch the Moment
Two parent geese swimming for the first adventure with their babies protected between them
Reflection
God didn’t just answer—He continued.
What began as a moment of feeling unseen
became a journey of being known, cared for, and reminded
again and again that God was near.
I thought the answer was the goose.
But the answer was God.
He saw me.
He heard me.
And He stayed with me through every part of the story.
From the first moment…
to the waiting…
to the growth…
to the letting go…
God was there.
And maybe that is what you need to see too.
That the prayer you whispered…
the one you’re not sure He heard…
He did.
And not only does He hear—
He continues.
If you’re in a place of waiting,
or wondering if God sees you…
He does.
And He is still working in your story, even now.
God didn’t just answer—He is still answering.
Invitation
If God can do this for me… He sees you too.
If something in your heart is stirring… don’t ignore it.
God sees you.
He hears you.
And He is not distant from your life.
You don’t have to have everything figured out—
you can simply begin by talking to Him.
Right where you are.
If you’ve been feeling unseen,
or carrying something quietly in your heart…
bring it to God.
He is listening.
And He will meet you there.
If you want to know Him more,
or understand what it means to walk with Him—
👉 Start here:
Love in Christ,
Karen Rowe ~ Hope in Today Ministries
“God didn’t just answer—He continued.”
