Sacred Thorns
Claim This Podcastby Rachel Walters
Podcast Overview
<p>A podcast for when the healing doesn't come. Sacred Thorns explores faith in chronic illness, infertility, grief & lasting suffering. No toxic positivity, just honest hope. When prayers go unanswered and suffering won't end, where is God? Host Rachel Walters draws from ancient Christian wisdom to offer companions for the journey. If you're tired of being told to "just pray harder," you'll find understanding here.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
9/23/2025
1 verified contact email on file for Sacred Thorns
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Recent Episodes
February 8, 2026
Living in the Sacred Middle
<p>In the season one finale, Rachel explores what it means to live in the sacred middle, the long, uncomfortable space between unanswered prayer and resolution. Inspired by a listener's question about navigating infertility while holding onto faith, she turns to Elisabeth Elliot as a guide, a woman whose life was marked by devastating, repeated loss and who spent her life wrestling with the question: Is suffering for nothing?</p><p>Rachel unpacks Elliot's profound concept of offering our suffering as sacrifice, not as a problem for God to fix, but as an act of worship. Drawing from Elliot's teaching that we can offer to God all that we are, all that we have, all that we do, and all that we suffer, Rachel explores what it means to hold your hands open in the waiting: not clenched in demand, not closed in resignation, but open as an offering.</p><p>This episode offers a framework for those who find themselves stuck in the waiting room of their own lives, tired of being told to either "move on" or "just have more faith." Rachel reminds us that our unfulfilled longings can become material for sacrifice, and that the sacred middle—the waiting, the not-yet, the still-hoping—isn't a failure of faith. It's where we learn that offering ourselves with our suffering transforms the burden into a gift, and the middle into something more sacred than we ever imagined.</p>
January 25, 2026
Prayer When Heaven Feels Silent
<p>In this episode, Rachel explores what happens to our faith when the prayers we've whispered for years seem to go unanswered, and Heaven stays silent. She shares the personal moment of standing in an empty bedroom after a third adoption fell through, realizing she had finally run out of words to say to God.</p><p>She unpacks the difference between prayer as transaction and prayer as abiding, challenging the idea that persistence means repeating a request until God gives in. Drawing from the lament Psalms and the "nevertheless" of Gethsemane, Rachel reframes prayer not as performance or petition, but as the holy stubbornness of refusing to leave the relationship. She examines how lament gives us language for the messy middle, where we can hold both faith and doubt, and why mystery doesn't mean failure.</p><p>Whether you're tired of being told that unanswered prayers mean you lack faith, wrestling with anger at God, or wondering if staying connected matters when the conversation feels one-sided, this episode offers space to breathe. It's an invitation to discover that abiding matters more than answers, and that staying in the room with God might be the most faithful prayer we have.</p>
January 11, 2026
Valleys and Mountains: Reframing Spiritual Geography
<p>In this episode, Rachel challenges the spiritual hierarchy we've created around valleys and mountains, assuming that God primarily dwells on the mountaintop and only "still" remains with us in the valley. She explores what it means that God doesn't just tolerate being in the valley with us, but actually dwells there.</p><p>She unpacks the popular "you were assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved" theology, examining what happens when the mountain doesn't move and your testimony doesn't have a triumphant ending. Drawing from Psalm 23 and the physical reality of valleys as sheltered, fertile places, Rachel reframes the journey: maybe we weren't assigned mountains to move them, but led into valleys to discover that God makes His home in the low places.</p><p>Whether you're starting this new year in the same valley you ended last year in, whether you're tired of being told to climb higher to find God, or you're wondering if your story only matters if it has a victory ending, this episode offers a different framework, one where presence matters more than elevation, and dwelling matters more than conquering.</p>
11 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Sacred Thorns?
<p>A podcast for when the healing doesn't come. Sacred Thorns explores faith in chronic illness, infertility, grief & lasting suffering. No toxic positivity, just honest hope. When prayers go unanswered and suffering won't end, where is God? Host Rachel Walters draws from ancient Christian wisdom to offer companions for the journey. If you're tired of being told to "just pray harder," you'll find understanding here.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.
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