The Open Heavens 1 May 2026 devotional for today is THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD I.
This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
OPEN HEAVENS 1 MAY 2026 TODAY DEVOTIONAL
TOPIC: THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD I
MEMORISE:
And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
1 Kings 18:46
READ: Nehemiah 2:1-18
1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.
6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
9 Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12 And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem: neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode upon.
13 And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were consumed with fire.
14 Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king’s pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.
15 Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so returned.
16 And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
17 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.
18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work.
RCCG OPEN HEAVENS 1 MAY 2026 TODAY MESSAGE
Years ago, I sat for a mathematics examination, and when I was handed the question sheet, I discovered that I could not understand any of the questions. Even though I was really good at mathematics, my mind had become totally blank.
By then, I was sweating profusely. I looked around me, and I saw my coursemates writing earnestly.
Since I knew that any student who failed an examination would be allowed to retake it the following year, I decided to leave the examination hall after a while. As I was about to stand up, I felt a mighty, though invisible, hand pin me to my seat.
After another 15 minutes of wondering what to do, l decided to go through the questions again.
Suddenly, I realised that my understanding had returned to me and I could now answer all of them.
I started answering the questions, and I was able to finish answering them within the stipulated time. By the grace of God, I passed the examination with flying colours. Several years after the incident, I realised that it was God’s mighty hand that kept me on my seat during the examination, restored my understanding, and gave me supernatural speed. Even though I started slowly, His hand made me catch up with and even overtake some of my coursemates who had started writing before me.
In today’s memory verse, the mighty hand of the Lord rested on Elijah, and he outran the king’s chariot, which must have been pulled by the fastest horses in Israel at the time. God’s mighty hand gave him supernatural speed. Likewise, in today’s Bible reading, when Nehemiah wanted to return to Jerusalem to rebuild it, the mighty hand of God gave him great favour before the heathen king he worked for and also before the leaders in Jerusalem. He experienced supernatural speed in rebuilding the walls and gates of Jerusalem because of God’s mighty hand upon him.
Beloved, if you are a child of God, you can also experience the mighty hand of God upon you by spending quality time in prayer and studying His word daily. You must also humble yourself before Him and commit all your ways to Him so that you can receive His grace that births supernatural speed (James 4:6).
I pray for you today that the mighty hand of God will rest upon you and give you supernatural clarity and speed in all areas of your life, in Jesus’ name.
PRAYER POINT
Father, please let your mighty hand rest upon me and grant me supernatural understanding, speed, and favour, in Jesus’ name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
1 Chronicles 7-9
Open Heavens HYMN 1: ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS’ NAME
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL 1 MAY 2026 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: 1 Kings 18:46
“And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.”
This verse describes a supernatural burst of speed. After Elijah’s victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, he told King Ahab to prepare his chariot and go down before the rain stopped him. Then Elijah—a man of flesh and bone like us—girded his clothing and ran ahead of the king’s chariot all the way to Jezreel. Horses pulling a royal chariot are fast. But the hand of the LORD on a human being is faster. This is not natural athletic ability; it is divine acceleration.
BIBLE READING: Nehemiah 2:1-18
This passage records Nehemiah’s pivotal moment of divine favor. He was serving as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia. When the king noticed Nehemiah’s sad countenance and asked the cause, Nehemiah prayed quickly and then told him: Jerusalem lay in ruins. The king granted him leave to go rebuild it, gave him letters for safe passage, and provided timber from the royal forest. Nehemiah then traveled to Jerusalem, inspected the walls at night, and rallied the people: “Let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.” He told them, “The hand of my God was good upon me.” The people responded, “Let us rise up and build.” This passage demonstrates that when the hand of God rests on a person, doors open, favor flows, and what should take years is accomplished in record time.
The Hand That Gives Supernatural Speed
In today’s devotional, Pastor E.A. Adeboye (Daddy Adeboye) shares a personal testimony and a powerful biblical truth: God’s hand on your life gives you supernatural speed. What others take years to achieve, you can accomplish in months. What others struggle to finish, you can complete with supernatural ease. The same God who enabled Elijah to outrun a chariot and Nehemiah to rebuild walls in record time is ready to accelerate your progress.
The Examination That Almost Failed
The devotional opens with a personal testimony from Daddy Adeboye’s student days. He sat for a mathematics examination—a subject he was actually very good at. But when he received the question paper, his mind went completely blank. He could not understand any of the questions. Sweat poured from him as he watched his coursemates writing earnestly around him.
He decided to leave. He had calculated that if he failed, he could retake the examination the following year. But just as he was about to stand up, a mighty, invisible hand pinned him to his seat.
For fifteen more minutes, he sat there, wondering what to do. Then he decided to go through the questions again. Suddenly, his understanding returned. He could now answer every question. He started writing and finished within the stipulated time. By God’s grace, he passed with flying colors.
Years later, he understood what had happened: God’s mighty hand kept him in his seat, restored his understanding, and gave him supernatural speed. Even though he started slowly, he caught up with and even overtook some of his coursemates who had started writing before him.
This is what the hand of God does. It doesn’t just help you finish—it helps you finish ahead.
Elijah: Running Ahead of Horses
The memory verse gives us the classic example of supernatural speed. After the showdown on Mount Carmel, Elijah told Ahab to prepare his chariot and go down before the rain stopped him. Then Elijah ran ahead of the chariot to Jezreel.
Think about what this means. Ahab’s chariot would have been pulled by the fastest horses in Israel. Chariots were the military technology of the day—designed for speed and power. Yet a single man, on foot, outran them.
This was not natural. This was the hand of the LORD on Elijah. The same hand that had called down fire from heaven now enabled his legs to move with supernatural velocity. What should have taken hours took minutes. What should have left him far behind left him in front.
Nehemiah: Walls Rebuilt in Record Time
The Bible reading gives us another example of God’s hand producing supernatural speed. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the Persian king—a trusted position, but not a builder. Yet when he heard that Jerusalem’s walls were broken down and its gates burned, his heart broke.
He prayed, fasted, and waited. Then, in a single day, God moved through the king’s favor. Nehemiah received permission to go, letters of safe passage, and timber from the royal forest. He traveled to Jerusalem, inspected the walls at night, and rallied the people. Despite opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, the wall was rebuilt in just 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15).
Fifty-two days! Walls that should have taken years were completed in weeks. Why? Because, as Nehemiah told the people, “The hand of my God was good upon me.”
What the Mighty Hand of God Does
1From these testimonies, we see several thingsthat happen when God’s hand rests on you:
1. It Keeps You from Quitting
Daddy Adeboye was about to leave the examination hall when God’s hand pinned him to his seat. How many times have you been on the verge of giving up, and something held you back? That was God’s hand. It prevents you from making disastrous decisions.
2. It Restores What Was Lost
His understanding returned. The answers that were hidden suddenly became clear. God’s hand doesn’t just help you keep going—it gives back what the enemy stole. Lost clarity, lost direction, lost hope—all restored.
3. It Gives Supernatural Speed
He finished on time despite a late start. Elijah outran the chariot. Nehemiah rebuilt walls in 52 days. When God’s hand is on you, you don’t just catch up—you overtake. You accomplish in days what others take years to do.
4. It Opens Doors of Favor
Nehemiah found favor with a heathen king who had no reason to help him. The king not only let him go but paid for his journey. God’s hand opens doors that human effort cannot budge.
5. It Silences Opponents
Sanballat and Tobiah mocked Nehemiah, but the wall went up anyway. When God’s hand is on your work, the criticism of others becomes irrelevant. You keep building, and they keep watching.
How to Experience the Mighty Hand of God
The devotional gives clear steps for receiving God’s hand upon your life:
1. Spend Quality Time in Prayer
Prayer is not just asking for things—it is connecting with the One whose hand changes everything. Elijah was a man of prayer. Nehemiah prayed before he spoke to the king. Daddy Adeboye was a mathematics student, but his relationship with God preceded the examination. You cannot experience God’s hand if you do not spend time in His presence.
2. Study His Word Daily
The Bible is not just information—it is the revelation of God’s nature and promises. The more you know His Word, the more you recognize His hand at work. David said, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Word illuminates the path of supernatural speed.
3. Humble Yourself Before Him
James 4:6 says, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” The hand of God rests on the humble, not the self-sufficient. Elijah, despite his victory, still called himself a servant. Nehemiah acknowledged God’s hand, not his own ability. Daddy Adeboye recognized years later that it was God’s hand, not his own brilliance, that saved his examination. Humility positions you for divine acceleration.
4. Commit All Your Ways to Him
Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” When you commit your plans, your studies, your career, your family, your future to God, you invite His hand to direct and accelerate them. The man who tries to run alone will be outpaced by the man who runs with God.
The Grace That Brings Supernatural Speed
The devotional mentions “grace that births supernatural speed.” This is important. Grace is not just forgiveness for past sins—it is divine empowerment for present tasks. When God’s grace rests on you:
- You learn faster than others
- You understand what others miss
- You complete what others abandon
- You advance while others stagnate
This is not about natural talent. It is about supernatural enablement. The same grace that saved you is the same grace that speeds you.
What Areas Need Supernatural Speed?
The devotional applies to every area of life:
- Academic speed: Understanding that comes suddenly, exams that are passed against all odds
- Career speed: Promotions that come early, opportunities that open quickly
- Financial speed: Debts that are paid faster than expected, provision that arrives at the right time
- Ministry speed: Growth that surprises everyone, impact that multiplies rapidly
- Personal speed: Breakthroughs in areas where you have been stuck for years
Whatever area you need acceleration, the hand of God can provide it.
Conclusion: You Can Outrun the Chariot
Elijah outran a chariot. Nehemiah rebuilt walls in 52 days. Daddy Adeboye passed an examination that started as a disaster. These are not fairy tales—they are testimonies of what happens when the mighty hand of God rests on a person.
That same hand is available to you. Not because you deserve it, but because He is gracious. Not because you are strong, but because He is faithful.
Spend time in prayer. Study His Word. Humble yourself. Commit your ways to Him. And watch what happens. The hand that pinned a student to his seat, the hand that outran a chariot, the hand that rebuilt walls—that hand is reaching for you today.
Pray this:
“Father, I ask for Your mighty hand to rest upon me today. Keep me from quitting when the battle is hard. Restore my understanding when confusion comes. Give me supernatural speed to overtake those who started before me. Open doors of favor that no man can shut. I humble myself before You. I commit my ways to You. Let Your hand be good upon me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Action Steps:
- Identify the area where you need acceleration: Write down the specific situation where you feel behind or stuck.
- Spend extra time in prayer this week: Dedicate at least 30 minutes each day specifically asking for God’s hand to rest on that area.
- Memorize 1 Kings 18:46: Declare it over your situation: “The hand of the Lord is on me. I will outrun the chariot.”
- Look back for testimonies: Has God ever given you supernatural speed before? Write it down and thank Him. Let past faithfulness fuel present faith.
- Stay humble: Remember that the hand of God rests on the humble. Keep your heart low and your eyes on Him.
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