DAY 18 | Healing and Freedom | Rachel Hood
I had a difficult pregnancy with my son. With lifelong heart conditions and a pacemaker, I was placed on high-risk and had 13 doctors. There was a lot of fear wrapped up in those nine months regarding my own health, and even though God carried us through with a beautiful, healthy baby boy, that fear lingered long after he arrived. For nearly two years, I was terrified to have more children; even though my husband and I both wanted more. This fear capsized every thought, every plan, or action we had to try again or even think of the future.
My husband and I had prayed throughout that time over this, but we kept it private, never bringing it to the altar, to our friends, mentors, or family. In August of 2025, I decided to bring this to God for the final time. I was exhausted from walking in fear of what should be some of the happiest thoughts and plans. I walked down to the altar and asked a woman on our Prayer Team to pray over me. She reminded me that God had already promised me healing and children - in fact, I’d already seen that happen with my son. After that, I spoke to my family about this freedom I now had, my trusted friends, and no longer had that fear capsizing my thoughts.
James 5 speaks to this freedom and healing given in community. We weren’t created to navigate the hard things alone or to fix ourselves in isolation. God uses leaders, mentors, and trusted friends to help carry what weighs us down and to guide us back toward truth. Being vulnerable with others is not a weakness; it’s an invitation for God to move in ways we couldn’t on our own. When we bring our fears and burdens into the light and allow others to pray, support, and speak truth over us, we step into the fullness of God’s healing. Freedom grows in community, is nurtured by prayer, and is strengthened when others walk with us.
If you’re carrying something today, take one step toward healing. Reach out to someone you trust. Go to the altar. Send the text. Make the call. Be vulnerable in what you are walking through and ask someone to pray with you. If you are unsure where to begin, start with asking God to reveal who that right person might be. Healing does not happen all at once, but it does begin with a single moment of honesty. Don’t walk alone, God made us to walk alongside one another in freedom.
My husband and I had prayed throughout that time over this, but we kept it private, never bringing it to the altar, to our friends, mentors, or family. In August of 2025, I decided to bring this to God for the final time. I was exhausted from walking in fear of what should be some of the happiest thoughts and plans. I walked down to the altar and asked a woman on our Prayer Team to pray over me. She reminded me that God had already promised me healing and children - in fact, I’d already seen that happen with my son. After that, I spoke to my family about this freedom I now had, my trusted friends, and no longer had that fear capsizing my thoughts.
James 5 speaks to this freedom and healing given in community. We weren’t created to navigate the hard things alone or to fix ourselves in isolation. God uses leaders, mentors, and trusted friends to help carry what weighs us down and to guide us back toward truth. Being vulnerable with others is not a weakness; it’s an invitation for God to move in ways we couldn’t on our own. When we bring our fears and burdens into the light and allow others to pray, support, and speak truth over us, we step into the fullness of God’s healing. Freedom grows in community, is nurtured by prayer, and is strengthened when others walk with us.
If you’re carrying something today, take one step toward healing. Reach out to someone you trust. Go to the altar. Send the text. Make the call. Be vulnerable in what you are walking through and ask someone to pray with you. If you are unsure where to begin, start with asking God to reveal who that right person might be. Healing does not happen all at once, but it does begin with a single moment of honesty. Don’t walk alone, God made us to walk alongside one another in freedom.
Posted in 21 Days of Devos