House of Hope Online

August 16, 2026

Here is a link to the podcast audio:

Or, if you prefer to listen on Spotify, click here:

This week Nancy and I were in the car making the long drive back from Huntsville, AL and a song entitled “Presence of the Lord” came on the radio.  The song was written by Eric Clapton in 1969 when he was part of a short-lived rock band called “Blind Faith.”  Steve Winwood sang the vocals.  The album “Blind Faith” became a #1 hit in both the U.S. and the UK.  The album was a favorite of mine back in my college days.

Here are a few verses from the song “Presence of the Lord”:

I have finally found a place to live,

Oh, in the presence of the Lord,

In the presence of the Lord.

I have finally found a way to live,

Like I never could before.

And I know I don’t have much to give,

But soon I’ll open any door.

As I listened to the song in the car, I realized Clapton was saying he sought other places to no avail.  And so, I asked myself if I was seeking the presence of the Lord enough in my life.  Is it my “go to” place when I am stressed, or do I strive in my own strength to protect myself and solve problems.  The song encouraged me to seek the Lord more.

This week I was in Psalms 91, which is titled “Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God.”  And so, the place that Eric Clapton finally found to live is a place of safety, and the word of the Lord today encourages all of us to seek and dwell routinely in the presence of the Lord.

Here is Psalms 91 from the New King James Version:

Psalms 91:

 1 ¶ He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.

 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Note the presence of the Lord is a secret place for you and the Spirit of the Lord.  The devil has no access to you there because it is a secret place just for you.  The Hebrew word for “refuge” means a shelter, literally or figuratively, and a place of hope and trust.  The fortress means our strong place – it represents our protection from the enemy in times of spiritual warfare.

But it is up to us to dwell there if we want to abide (live) under His shadow of protection.  We have to decide, as Eric Clapton did, that we have finally found a place to live, in the presence of the Lord.

Verse 3 is interesting.  The Lord will deliver us from the snare of the fowler and from perilous pestilence.  A fowler is one who is particularly skillful in trapping wild fowl, such as wild ducks or geese.  The fowler here refers to the devil, who is very skilled at trapping us.

Pestilence is any contagious or infectious epidemic or pandemic disease that is devastating.  The Hebrew word for perilous means a perverse and wicked thing or substance that rushes upon you.  Hand up if you think Covid was a perilous thing. 

If you are reading this, or listening to the podcast, you know you have been delivered from the perilous pestilence of the Covid-19 pandemic.  The Covid virus was a nasty, perverse, and wicked thing that the Lord delivered us from, and we should praise Him for it.  But verse 3 is future tense.  The Lord shall deliver you from the snare and the pestilence.  Some fear another occurrence of a pandemic, but if we live in the presence of the Lord, we know He shall deliver us from it.

Psalms 91:

 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

 7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.

 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.

 9 ¶ Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

 10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

Verse 7 is a promise that resonates with me.  A few weeks ago, I shared my experience working at Enron when the Company declared bankruptcy.  They called all of us to a meeting to announce it, and I felt the despair in that room falling upon the thousands at my side.  But despair did not come near me even though I was in the same predicament as the others.  God gave me a peace about my future.  No evil shall befall you!

Verse 9 is important.  The reason we have this supernatural protection is because we have made the Lord, the Most High, our “dwelling place.”  You might say: I have finally found a place to live, in the presence of the Lord.  Verse 10 promises if we regularly seek the presence of the Holy Spirit, and make Him our dwelling place, then no evil shall befall us, nor shall any plague come near our dwelling.  That is an awesome promise of deliverance!

Psalms 91:

 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.

 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

 14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.

 16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.” (NKJV)

Because of our love for Him, the Lord promises protecting angels, deliverance, answers to prayer, and His very presence during trials.

Closing

Eric Clapton wrote that he “finally” found a place to live, in the presence of the Lord.  That word “finally” spoke to me.  We tend to strive in our own strength to live in our own dwelling place, when all the while the safety of the presence of God is there for us.  His presence is not just a place to live. It’s a way to live. If we seek His presence for all things, the Spirit of God will use His wings to provide us shelter, refuge, and protection.  His army of angels will protect us. 

It is time that we started walking in the peace of that security!

If worry tries to come upon you, run, don’t walk, to get into the presence of the Lord.  Begin to praise the Lord and thank Him for the promises of Psalms 91.  In His presence there is peace, love, wisdom, guidance, and joy.  He delivers us from the snare of the evil trapper and the perverse wickedness of perilous pestilence.

Let us pray.

Father God, we thank You for the promises of Psalms 91.  We thank You for the secret place of the Most High, which is our refuge and fortress during times of stress.  Draw us to that secret place of deliverance and physical protection from pestilence and the snare of our adversary.  Thank You for angels encamped all around us, and for Your presence when we call upon You.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

If anyone has not yet received the Lord Jesus Christ in their heart, and desires to do so, please repeat this prayer after me:

Father God, I repent of my sin and ask for forgiveness today.  I confess and declare with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with all my heart that You raised Him from the dead for the forgiveness of sins.  Jesus, please come into my heart and change me.  Send the Holy Spirit to guide and direct me in wisdom and to enable me to overcome temptation from this day forth.  Thank You for my salvation.  I look forward to the day of the Rapture when I can be with You forever.  Amen.