The Scott Sauls Podcast

Many people who love their country feel like strangers in it right now. They vote and feel misrepresented. They engage and feel displaced. Scripture speaks meaningfully to this. In 597 BC, God sent a letter to exiles in Babylon and told them to build, plant, and pray for a city that was difficult for them and that they never chose to be part of. This episode explores what faithful displacement loo...

Most of us want to be good citizens. We also sense that the political moment keeps asking for something more than our participation—something closer to devotion, or even our worship. That tension has a name, and Scripture speaks directly into it. This episode looks at Daniel and Dietrich Bonhoeffer as two men who served their governments faithfully and refused to surrender what only God deserves....

Our bodies are breaking down and our mortality rate is one person per every one person. But the gospel reframes death as a doorway that transforms how we live now. Tim Keller, facing cancer, said: "I've spent my whole life telling people death is not the end for Christians, and now I get to prove I actually believe it." Scripture promises our perishable bodies will be raised imperishable—sown in w...

Helicopter parenting feels like love, but what if it's creating the fragility we're trying to prevent? Children today spend half as much time playing outside while anxiety skyrockets. Political commentator Van Jones once said to a room of college students: "I don't want you to be safe ideologically. I want you to be strong." Romans 5 teaches that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance build...

Ancient Sparta prepared their youth for hardship. Modern culture protects our youth from it. We've created the most anxious generation in history by prioritizing safety over strength. But a Spartan mother's words—"With it, or on it"—point to what we've lost: courage to face danger. Safety has its place, to be sure. But Scripture offers something even better than safety: a God who walks through fir...

We pick up our phones 2,617 times per day, scrolling for five hours, searching for comfort but finding anxiety instead. Our devices promise connection but deliver comparison, distraction, and restlessness. Why can't we break free? In this episode, Scott shares three biblical truths that address the root of digital anxiety: your worth isn't measured in likes, rest is a spiritual discipline, and Chr...

That sinking feeling when friends are together and you weren't invited. The loneliness when calls and texts go unanswered. It all contributes to the feeling of loneliness. According to the US Surgeon General, loneliness carries health risks equal to smoking 15 cigarettes daily. Social media amplifies the pain—we scroll through highlight reels, convinced everyone belongs except us. But the gospel o...

What happens when your job becomes your identity? Many of us tie our worth to our work, living with fear that if our career falls apart, we'll fall apart with it. But the gospel offers a different foundation. Your life is hidden with Christ in God—anchored not in what you do but in Whose you are. You're created for good work, but not saved by it. Discover how to untangle your identity from your jo...

Why does financial security never seem to quiet our fears about money? In this episode of That’s a Great Question, we examine why money can promise peace but never deliver it. Through Jesus’ words in Matthew 6, insights from The Great Gatsby, and the hope of the gospel, we explore how financial anxiety reveals what we’re really trusting—and how Christ offers a deeper, lasting security. If you feel...

Why do we keep worrying about tomorrow even when today is manageable? In this episode of That’s a Great Question, we explore how our desire for certainty fuels anxiety—and how Jesus offers a better way. Drawing from Matthew 6, C.S. Lewis, and the gospel itself, this conversation looks at why worry robs today of its strength and how trust in God restores peace. If you feel stuck in "future-tripping...

Every new year awakens hope for change, yet many of us feel defeated when old patterns return. In this episode, Scott Sauls explores the deeper longing beneath our resolutions: whether real, lasting change is actually possible. Drawing from Scripture, the struggles of Samuel Johnson, the failure and restoration of Peter, and the steady hope embodied by Florence Nightingale, Scott shows how Christi...

Christmas often brings more pressure than peace. Beneath the lights and traditions, many people feel anxious, guarded, and stretched thin. In this Christmas Day episode, Scott Sauls explores the spiritual significance of Santa Claus by telling the true story of Saint Nicholas of Myra. Drawing from Scripture and the gospel, this episode shows how generosity and courage flow from knowing we are alre...

Many of us know John 3:16 by heart yet quietly assume we are the exception. In this Advent episode, Scott Sauls speaks to the hidden ache of feeling unworthy of love and buried in regret and shame. Walking through John 3:16–18 and the story of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, he shows how God’s love comes toward people who feel disqualified, not away from them. Discover how the incarnation a...

Life doesn’t slow down just because we’re exhausted. Many people live tired, telling themselves rest will come later, but it never does. In this episode, Scott Sauls reflects on Mark 6, where Jesus invites His weary disciples to come away and rest, even as real demands remain. Drawing from Eugene Peterson and Marva Dawn, Scott explores how Christian rest is not laziness or escape, but an act of tr...

Joy is one of the most familiar words of the Christmas season, yet many of us enter Advent feeling anything but joyful. In this episode, Scott Sauls explores why joy can seem out of reach and how the Bible offers a deeper, Christ centered joy that can live alongside grief, anxiety, and disappointment. Drawing from Luke 2, John 15, Habakkuk, and the story of blind hymn writer Fanny Crosby, we consi...

Many of us live with a constant habit of imagining the worst about the future. We rehearse disasters that may never happen and exhaust ourselves with “what if” anxiety. In this episode, Scott Sauls looks at how Scripture and the gospel speak to our fear of the unknown. Instead of leaving your future to random chance, God anchors it in the crucified and risen Christ who already reigns over tomorrow...

Peace is one of the most printed words at Christmas, yet for many of us it feels like the one thing we do not actually have. In this Advent episode, Scott Sauls opens John 14 and Philippians 4 to show how Scripture speaks of shalom as more than a mood - it is the steady, guarding peace of Christ in the middle of real chaos. Drawing on voices like Elie Wiesel and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Scott explores...

Regret has a way of settling into the soul, sometimes quietly and sometimes with relentless intensity. As a new year begins, many people feel the weight of unfinished goals, relational wounds, and the long list of “should-haves.” Instead of energy and hope, the season can begin with heaviness. In this RESET episode, Scott Sauls reflects on Romans 7 and 8, showing how the apostle Paul names human i...

Spiritual apathy rarely arrives all at once. It drifts in quietly until prayer feels routine, Scripture grows sporadic, and worship becomes familiar instead of nourishing. As a new year approaches, many Christians find themselves wondering whether their desire for God can return in a meaningful way. In this RESET episode, Scott Sauls looks at Revelation 2:1-7 and explores why outward faithfulness...

When life feels unstable, hope can feel out of reach. In this Advent episode, Scott Sauls explores what Christian hope really is and why Scripture insists it grows strongest in seasons of uncertainty. Drawing from Isaiah 40, Romans 8, Vaclav Havel, and Fleming Rutledge, Scott shows how hope takes root not in optimism or outcomes, but in the character and presence of God. This episode helps you nam...

Is gratitude really that life-changing—or just a nice idea for Thanksgiving Day? In this episode of That’s a Great Question, we explore how a consistent posture of giving thanks—especially when life is hard—can reorient our perspective, renew our relationships, and deepen our joy. Drawing from Scripture and real-life insight, we uncover why gratitude is one of God’s most transformative gifts.

Can you really thank God for the worst parts of your story? In this episode of That’s a Great Question, we reflect on the harrowing yet hope-filled experience of Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom in a concentration camp—and what it teaches us about gratitude, suffering, and the deep, often hidden work of God. If you've ever asked why God allows certain pains to remain and even to escalate, this conversat...

Does gentleness even work anymore? In a culture driven by noise, division, and outrage, we’re told to shout louder to be heard. But in this episode of That’s a Great Question, we reflect on why gentleness might be the most underestimated force for change in the world today. Drawing from Scripture, the life of Jesus, and powerful modern examples, we unpack why strength under control speaks louder t...

Grace sounds beautiful until it lands where we don’t expect it—on someone we think doesn’t deserve it. In this episode of That’s a Great Question, we explore the real nature of grace: how it offends our sense of fairness, embraces the "wrong" people, and transforms even the most broken among us. Through Scripture, stories, and honest reflection, we uncover why grace is not just amazing—it’s astoni...

Whether you’re a longtime admirer of Keller or Joni, or you’re simply exploring what authentic Christian greatness looks like, this conversation is for anyone seeking a faith that’s thoughtful, steady, and shaped by the long obedience of following Jesus. In this episode, we explore:
• What Tim Keller modeled about humility, wisdom, and gospel-centered leadership
• How Joni Eareckson Tada’s sufferi...