OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
FRIDAY, APRIL 17TH, 2026
MEMORISE
He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.
– Psalm 113:9
READ: 2 Kings 4:8-17 (KJV)
8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.
9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.
11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.
12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.
13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.
14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.
16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.
MESSAGE:
Years ago, a woman, who was waiting on God for children, kept going to her pastor for prayers. After a while, the pastor said, “I’ve prayed for many people who were looking for children, and now, they have their children. Why is your case different?”
The woman then revealed that she had once tried to terminate a pregnancy, but the procedure went wrong, and in order to save her life, the doctors removed her womb. On hearing this, the pastor asked in shock, “You’ve had no womb all these while, yet you kept asking me to pray for you to have a child?”
From that day on, the pastor started avoiding her. When she noticed this, she turned to God and said, “I won’t go to my pastor anymore. I will come to You, my Maker.”
Shortly after that, she had a dream one night. In the dream, she was naked, and as she stood in a spot, a huge man approached her with an animal’s skin in his hands. On getting to where she was standing, he wrapped the animal’s skin around her belly and disappeared. That experience signalled the end of her barrenness. The last time I heard about her, she had given birth to five children!
God can reverse the irreversible. In Genesis 21:1-2, He reversed the deadness of Abraham and Sarah’s bodies and gave them a child after many years of barrenness. Likewise, in 1 Samuel 1:4-20, He remembered Hannah and opened her womb.
In today’s Bible reading, the Shunammite woman saw Elisha passing by and compelled him to come to her house to eat. She fed him on many other occasions and built him a small chamber in her house to host him whenever he passed by. When God decided to visit her, Elisha told her that she would have a son, and she told him not to deceive her. That was a clear sign of unbelief, but the Almighty God bypassed her doubts and gave her a son because of her heart of service.
Beloved, are you expecting the miracle of a child or fruitfulness in any area of your life? Keep serving the Lord and honouring Him. Hold on to His word, and you will never be disappointed. I pray that He will reverse any form of barrenness in your life and cause you to be fruitful in all areas of your life, in Jesus’ name.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please make me fruitful in every area of my life.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Kings 21-22
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 53: ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus
1.’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”
Chorus:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!
2.Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
Just in simple faith to plunge me
‘Neath the healing, cleansing flood!
