The Open Heaven 12 July 2025 devotional for today is A SIMPLE PRAYER.
This is a daily devotion written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
OPEN HEAVEN 12 JULY 2025 TODAY DEVOTIONAL
TOPIC: A SIMPLE PRAYER
MEMORISE:
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Mark 1:35
READ: James 5:16-18
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 12 JULY 2025 TODAY MESSAGE
Some years ago, a man’s wife ran mad, and she was taken to a herbalist for treatment.
After being with the herbalist for so long, she didn’t get any better; rather, she only grew worse.
Somebody told me about the situation, and I decided to go and pray for the woman. When I got there, I said a simple prayer and left.
After I left, some people contacted her husband and said, “This man came and prayed for only two minutes. Two minutes of prayer for this kind of problem?!” Since they didn’t believe that the prayer worked, they decided to take her to a psychiatric hospital. When they got there, the specialist said, “Let us observe this woman for a while so we can know the type of medication to administer to her.”
After two weeks, the specialist sent for her husband and told him, “If you say there is something wrong with this woman, then there must be something wrong with you.” With no medication and just a simple prayer, she was healed completely.
In 1 Kings 18:36-38, Elijah’s prayer that brought down fire must have just been for a few minutes. When ministers of God say simple prayers and great miracles happen, it is because they have spent hours with God in secret.
When Jesus walked on the earth, He only had to speak once for every miracle He performed to happen. However, the Bible records in many instances that He would retreat from His disciples and other people to go to a solitary place to pray, just as we see in today’s memory verse. This is the secret to simple prayers that carry so much power.
Every time Elijah prayed in the Bible, his prayers were short and very effective. In 2
Kings 1:9-12, when he decreed that fire should fall from heaven and consume the two captains and the soldiers they were in charge of, it was with a few words, “If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty.”
Today’s Bible reading tells us the secret behind those simple but powerful decrees – Elijah was a man like us who prayed earnestly and fervently, and God answered him (James 5:17). If you want to pray simple but powerful prayers in public, you must labour fervently and earnestly in prayers in the secret place. Profound public results are only birthed by intense secret sacrifices.
OPEN HEAVEN 12 JULY 2025 KEY POINT
The simple but powerful prayers that birth great miracles result from intense fellowship with God in secret.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Ecclesiastes 9-12
HYMN 22: SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER
OPEN HEAVEN DEVOTIONAL 12 JULY 2025 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: Mark 1:35
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
This verse reveals Jesus’ secret to powerful ministry—private prayer precedes public miracles. The devotional builds on this truth: Short, powerful public prayers are born from long, fervent private communion with God.
BIBLE READING: James 5:16-18
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly…”
James highlights Elijah’s example to prove that ordinary people can pray extraordinary prayers when they seek God diligently.
The Secret Behind Powerful Short Prayers
The devotional uses two key stories to teach that brief public miracles flow from extended private prayer:
1. The Mad Woman’s Instant Healing
- The Scenario:
- A woman’s mental illness resisted herbalists and psychiatrists.
- A two-minute prayer from a man of God brought total healing.
- The Lesson:
- The miracle wasn’t in the length of the public prayer but in the depth of the minister’s private prayer life.
- Like Jesus in Mark 1:35, this minister had already “paid the price” in secret.
2. Elijah’s Fire from Heaven (1 Kings 18:36-38)
- The Prayer: Just one sentence (v. 36-37), yet fire fell.
- The Preparation:
- Elijah’s public power came from years of obedience (1 Kings 17) and solitary faith (1 Kings 19).
- James 5:17 confirms: He “prayed earnestly” (Greek: proseuchomai + proseuche—a prayer poured out with intensity).
Why Short Prayers Sometimes Work Best
- They Reflect Already-Settled Faith
- Jesus taught, “When you pray, believe you receive” (Mark 11:24). Long public prayers can sometimes mask unbelief.
- They Showcase God’s Power, Not Human Eloquence
- 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 – Paul relied on God’s power, not “enticing words.”
- They Follow Jesus’ Model
- Most of Jesus’ miracle prayers were brief commands (e.g., “Lazarus, come forth!”—John 11:43).
How to Develop a Prayer Life That Releases Power
- Prioritize Secret Prayer (Matthew 6:6)
- Start with 30 minutes daily of undistracted communion.
- Pray Scripture Back to God
- Elijah’s prayer in 1 Kings 18:36 quoted God’s covenant promises.
- Fast Regularly
- Jesus linked certain breakthroughs to fasting (Matthew 17:21).
- Obey Promptly
- Elijah’s power flowed from implicit obedience (1 Kings 17:5).
Warning: Don’t Misuse This Principle
- Not an Excuse for Lazy Prayer:
- The “short prayer” works only if backed by a disciplined private life.
- Not a Formula:
- God answers faith, not brevity (Matthew 15:22-28—the Syrophoenician woman’s persistent prayer was honored).
Conclusion: Your Private Prayer Determines Your Public Power
Ask yourself:
- “Do I spend more time praying in public than in secret?”
- “Is my prayer life deep enough to sustain sudden miracles?”
Action Step:
- This week, add 15 minutes to your private prayer time before expecting public results.
Remember: Short prayers work when long prayers have already worked in you.
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet… and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6:6).
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