OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8TH, 2026
MEMORISE:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
-Ephesians 6:18
READ: Genesis 32:24-30
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
MESSAGE:
Sometime in 1975, my Father in the Lord, Pa Josiah Akindayomi, came to stay with me in my little house in Ilesha, a city in South West Nigeria.
Even though it was a mud house that was plastered with cement, I was happy to host my Father in the Lord.
When it was nighttime, we prayed together, and l prepared to go to bed.
As I went into my room to sleep, I saw that he was still on his knees, praying, and when I woke up to use the toilet in the middle of the night and again around 5am, the old man was surprisingly still on his knees, praying.
I was worried, so I asked if there was a problem, and he said I would soon understand.
I have followed in his footsteps since then, and I truly now understand that, as believers, we ought to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Beloved, God has called all His children to a life of prayer. Unfortunately, however, many believers don’t see any reason to pray when things are going well for them.
They feel that there is no need to pray because they are not experiencing any challenges.
However, if you are a genuine child of God, you must pray without ceasing.
No matter how much you pray now, you can always go higher in the place of prayer.
Never let your current prayer lifestyle, no matter how vibrant you think it is, make you feel as if you are doing your best.
Keep pushing to be better so you don’t begin to relax and lose your fervency.
When I became the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, I went with six of my best friends to llorin, a state in North Central Nigeria, to pray for 36 hours nonstop.
After the 36 hours of prayers, God revealed several things to us. We felt good with ourselves, and we thought we had achieved something unbelievable.
The following week, however, I was told about a man who prayed nonstop for 30 days!
In today’s Bible reading, we saw Jacob wrestling until he obtained a blessing from God that changed his life for good.
Beloved, God expects you to hold on to Him in prayer without fainting (Luke 18:1).
Do not relax or boast about any milestones you might have reached in the place of prayer; rather, always seek to exceed them.
May the Lord continually empower you to wait on Him as you should in every season of your life, in Jesus’ name.
KEY POINT:
God wants you to keep going higher in the place of prayer.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 27-29
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 11: I’ve found a friend in Jesus
1. I have found a friend in Jesus,
He’s ev’rything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The “Lily of the Valley,” in Him alone I see,
all I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay,
He tells me ev’ry care on Him to roll;
He’s the “Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,”
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
2. He all my grief has taken, and all my sorrows borne,
in temptation He’s my strong and mighty tow’r;
I have all for Him forsaken, and all my idols torn
from my heart, and now He keeps me by His pow’r.
Though all the world forsake me, and Satan tempt me sore,
through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal;
He’s the “Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,”
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
3. He will never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,
while I live by faith and do His blessed will;
A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear,
with His manna He my hungry soul shall fill.
Then sweeping up to glory, to see His blessed face,
where rivers of delight shall ever roll;
He’s the “Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,”
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
