House of Hope Online

August 30, 2026

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Two weeks ago, the word of the Lord was “Presence of the Lord.”  We talked about Psalms 91 and the secret place of the Most High.  The Bible tells us that in His presence we have a refuge and a fortress, where the Lord covers us, and where He answers us.

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.” (NKJV)

And a little later in Psalms 91 we saw this:

Psalms 91:

 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.

Today I want to give a testimony of how the Lord answers and delivers us in His presence. 

Nancy and I have been contemplating an important decision for quite some time.  There were days we thought we knew the answer and an equal number of days when we thought the opposite decision was the answer.  We were not in disagreement with each other, but we could not reach a decision on the right way to go.  We both had true doublemindedness on the issue.

On Monday, I went into prayer and just began to seek the presence of the Lord – that secret place of the Most High.  As I prayed, I sensed a tremendous peace coming over me concerning the decision that we were to make.  I did not hear anything audibly, just a peace that the concerns I had were not to be feared. 

Later in the afternoon, when I mentioned it to Nancy, she excitedly said she received the same peace earlier in the day.  The relief that we both have felt since Monday is such a blessing because we have been agonizing over the decision for so long.  Joy has returned because we feel we have clear direction from the Lord.

The Lord reminded me that He often speaks to us through the peace of His presence.  We tend to want to hear or sense a specific answer, but the Lord is saying, “listen to the peace, wait on the peace of My presence.”

Many years ago, Nancy and I faced an equally weighty decision when we were both young Christians practicing hearing from the Lord.  We learned that the Lord gave us peace when we were headed in the direction of His will, and uncertainty when we were thinking in the other direction.  In other words, a practical way of hearing from the Lord is to say, “Lord, what if we make this choice?”  And then wait on His peace or the lack thereof.

So, the word of the Lord for today is: “Peace that Speaks.”  His peace speaks volumes to us.

Last week we discussed Psalms 130:5

Psalms 130:

 5 ¶ I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.

The soul is comprised of the mind, will, and emotions.  We are to submit our mind, will, and emotions to Him until peace comes. 

Let Peace Rule

There are many other scriptures that support the spiritual principle that God speaks through His peace.

2^nd Thessalonians 3:

 16 ¶ Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Colossians 3:

 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

The Apostle Paul is telling us here that God’s peace should rule in our hearts, and we should follow that peace.  The Greek word for “hearts” is “kardia” which also figuratively means the thoughts or feelings of the mind.  So, let the peace of God rule your hearts and minds.  Desire and pursue only those endeavors around which you can sense God’s peace.  This is key to making Jesus the center of your life and doing what is pleasing to Him.

Philippians 4:

 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

God promises that His peace will guard our hearts and minds, when we make our requests known to Him.

In the following passage, Isaiah prophesied that the Lord would keep us in “perfect peace” when we keep our mind focused on God’s will.

Isaiah 26:

 3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

Jesus Promised Peace

The words of Jesus also indicated His peace should be a guiding force in our lives.

John 16:

 33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

(NKJV)

John 14:

 25 ¶ “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.

 26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

 27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Closing

In closing, let me encourage you that the Lord speaks to us through His peace, and following His peace is a pathway to His wisdom.  Philippians 4:7 says the peace of God surpasses all understanding, meaning that we can have a peace even though we do not understand or have access to all the facts.  Therefore, when you are uncertain, follow His peace.

The Bible promises that God’s wisdom is available if we ask, and the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

James 1:

 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Psalms 37:

 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way.

 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.

When uncertainty comes regarding a decision, remember that your steps are ordered by God.  Follow His peace to wisdom.

Let us pray.

Father God, thank you for the secret place of the Most High, where we can seek the peace of Your presence.  Thank You for answering us when we call and guiding us on the path to wisdom.  Your perfect peace surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and minds.   Thank You for ordering our steps, and for liberally granting Your wisdom to those who ask.  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.