The Quiet Place with Sherri Youngward

Psalm 1:1–2 ESV Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Recently, my friend Jordan sent me a text with those verses and a prayer: “Praying for a newfound delight in His Word. Jesus, captivate us afresh and anew. May we find...

Psalm 145:14 NLT The LORD helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads. There’s often an excitement at the beginning of something new. We might sell things, pack up and move, take a risk, or step out in faith with fresh energy. But as my pastor recently said, “In the middle of the race, we need endurance.” Spiritual endurance doesn’t come from willpower, but rather it requires a fresh...

John 14:1-3  “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. David Guzik wrote: "Love prepares a welcome. With love, expectant parents...

John 1:18  No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. Pastor Jon Courson wrote: "The Greek word translated 'declared' is exe-geomar, from which we get our word 'exegesis,' meaning 'to expound.'  Jesus expounded on the Father because Jesus had seen the Father. We are to expound on Jesus because we have...

I collected some previous episodes centered around the Gospel of John. I liked the idea of having them all in one place, and thought you might too.  John 14:1 Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. In the Gospel of John, chapters 13-17 all took place within a matter of hours before Jesus would lay down His life. Jesus knew His time had come. And like most of us woul...

I collected some previous episodes centered around the Gospel of John. I liked the idea of having them all in one place, and thought you might too.  John 13:10a Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; Though we are clean, forgiven, and reconciled to God, we still need Him to wash off the dirt of the day. The words that flew out of our mouth, the t...

I collected some previous episodes centered around the Gospel of John. I liked the idea of having them all in one place, and thought you might too.  John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Charles Spurgeon wrote: "Jesus stands in the same relationship to his people as a shepherd does to his flock. He owns his people; every one of them belong to h...

I collected some previous episodes centered around the Gospel of John. I liked the idea of having them all in one place, and thought you might too.  John 6:28-29 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” Every time I read this chapter in John, I lean in...

John 20:31  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John made it perfectly clear why he wrote his Gospel—that we would believe who Jesus is and have life in His Name.   In this episode, we will explore the life we are promised.  John 10:10-11  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I cam...

Psalm 84:11–12 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! Last week, we looked at the authors of Psalm 84—the sons of Korah. This week, we’ll look at the Psalm itself. I went back and revisited some thoughts from an earlier episode, as well as adding new...

Psalm 84:1-2 To the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath.  A Psalm of the sons of Korah. How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Though Psalm 84 has long been a favorite of mine, this is the first time I ever looked into who the (human) authors were — the “sons of Korah.” Now t...

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. — 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 This episode marks four years of the Quiet Place Podcast — happy birthday, Quiet Place listeners! A recent conversation with writer and co...

Luke 10:38-42 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”...

This Easter, we are revisiting a favorite episode. We hope you enjoy going back with us. 1 Corinthians 15:8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw Him. In this episode, I will share how I’ve prepared myself for Easter over the years.  It's not only been figuring out songs, but also answering the question, "How do I know Jesus is real and alive?" I will also share how...

This week, we are revisiting a favorite episode. We hope you enjoy going back with us. John 21:25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. If way back when John wrote this, the world could not contain all the books filled with stories of what Jesus had done, think ab...

Philippians 4:6–7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Recently as unexpected rain pattered on my window, I noticed the birds still sang away. Inspired by the birds, I slid my window open and reco...

PSALM 34  A psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who sent him away. In this episode, I will begin by reading the backstory to Psalm 34. This is when David (to escape captivity and punishment) pretended to be insane. Many scholars believe Psalm 34 was written in the cave where David hid. It is impossible to count how many Psalms, songs, stories, and se...

This week, we are revisiting a favorite episode. We hope you enjoy going back with us. 1 Corinthians 16:10 And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. What is the work of the Lord? Though it takes energy and effort, the work of the Lord has nothing to do with earning our way to God. Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been save...

Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. Charles Spurgeon wrote: "As man can bear hunger much longer than he can bear thirst, he may continue without food for days but not without drink. So the psalmist mentions the thirstiest creature and the most ardent of the natural passions. He does not say, 'So I long for my former grandeur,' or, 'S...

Matthew 28:8  So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene came to the tomb after the crucifixion of their Savior, son, and friend. Their dear Jesus. After seeing the angel, they had both “fear and great joy.” Have you ever had fear and great joy? Or grief, sickness, weakness, unidentified weirdness, and...

Psalm 33:4-5  For the word of the LORD holds true, and everything he does is worthy of our trust. He loves whatever is just and good, and his unfailing love fills the earth. Speaking of the last line ("and his unfailing love fills the earth"), FB Meyer wrote: "The Psalmist means that there is no spot in it where the traces and footprints of God’s love may not be discerned, if only the eyes and the...

Matthew 23:11-12 The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. In this episode, I will explore what it means to humble yourself, including a story about my first object lesson on the topic. It involved my eighteen-year-old self, borrowing my mom’s Gran Torino, and facing a disgruntled cashier.  You’ll have to list...

Matthew 15:32-33 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?” (Spoiler alert) In the end, J...

Matthew 11:25-26  At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. I recently asked the women in our Bible Reading Group what came to their minds as they thought of a good father. Some had great fathers, some didn’t hav...

Psalm 18:28  For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. Without light, I can’t see behind me, beside me, or before me (as in my future). I have many stories of how God brought light in the midst of my darkness. Often that light is as delicate as candlelight. Just a flicker of hope.  In this episode, I will share some recent memories and a personal story of how God brou...