The Open Heavens 13 April 2026 devotional for today is REVERSING OPPORTUNITIES.
The author of this daily devotion is Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
OPEN HEAVENS 13 APRIL 2026 TODAY DEVOTIONAL
TOPIC: REVERSING OPPORTUNITIES
MEMORISE
That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
Deuteronomy 30:3
READ: John 21:15-19
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
RCCG OPEN HEAVEN 13 APRIL 2026 TODAY MESSAGE
It is popularly said that an opportunity lost can never be regained. However, this can only be true when God decides to be silent about such opportunities. The moment God gets involved, lost opportunities can be regained.
In the 1960s, I was a games master at a school called Okeigbo/Ifetedo Grammar School. The school received an invitation to participate in a competition in Akure, one of the state capitals in Western Nigeria, and I got talking with the host school’s games master during the competition.
Sometime later, I was admitted into the University of Lagos for my Master’s degree, and I applied to the Federal Government for a scholarship. When a year passed without a response from the Federal Government, I assumed that I didn’t get the scholarship, and I continued paying the fees myself.
One day, while walking on the university campus, I saw the games master I had met in Akure over a year earlier. We got talking again, and he told me that he was now working with the Federal Ministry of Education.
Then I said to him, “I applied for a scholarship with your ministry, and l did not get any response.” He then told me that he remembered my application because I was the only one who applied for a postgraduate scholarship in mathematics. He said it was a unanimous decision to grant me the scholarship, and that the interview would have been a formality.
To cut the story short, he said that he would see what he could do about it, and we parted ways. Two weeks later, I got a letter from the Federal Ministry of Education granting me a full scholarship that was backdated to the day I started my Master’s programme. I decree that any good opportunity that you thought had been lost forever will be restored by the Almighty God, in Jesus’ name.
In Matthew 26:69-75, Peter had the opportunity to stand for Christ; however, he lost it when he denied the Lord thrice. He was so heartbroken that he decided to return to fishing (John 21:3). However, Jesus stepped in and gave him another opportunity, as we see in today’s Bible reading.
After the Lord’s intervention, the same man, who denied Jesus three times, boldly faced the rulers who killed the Lord and told them that he would not stop speaking about Him (Acts 4:8- 13).
Beloved, have you lost valuable opportunities in the past? Ask God for mercy, and He will restore you and help you regain such opportunities.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, Please give me a second chance and restore every good opportunity I have lost, in Jesus’ name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
1 Kings 10-12
Open Heavens HYMN 2: AMAZING GRACE
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL 13 APRIL 2026 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: Deuteronomy 30:3
“That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.”
This verse reveals God’s nature as a Restorer. He doesn’t just forgive—He turns things around. He doesn’t just pity—He actively gathers what was scattered. The promise here is that even when God’s people were scattered because of their own disobedience, God was willing to gather them again. If He can restore a nation scattered due to sin, He can restore any opportunity you have lost.
BIBLE READING: John 21:15-19
This is one of the most tender restoration scenes in Scripture. Peter had denied Jesus three times—vehemently, with curses and swearing. He had lost the opportunity to stand with his Lord in His darkest hour. After the resurrection, Jesus finds Peter by the Sea of Tiberias, where Peter had gone back to fishing. Three times Jesus asks him, “Lovest thou me?” Three times Peter affirms his love. Three times Jesus commissions him: “Feed my sheep.” This threefold question mirrors Peter’s threefold denial, showing that Jesus was systematically restoring what Peter had lost. By the end of the conversation, Peter is reinstated, recommissioned, and even told what kind of death would glorify God. This passage proves that Jesus specializes in giving second chances and restoring lost opportunities.
The God Who Restores Lost Opportunities
In today’s devotional, Pastor E.A. Adeboye challenges a popular saying: “An opportunity lost can never be regained.” He declares that this is only true if God chooses to be silent. But when God gets involved, lost opportunities can be found, dead dreams can be revived, and what seemed gone forever can be restored.
A Personal Testimony of Restored Opportunity
Daddy Adeboye shares a personal story that illustrates this truth beautifully. In the 1960s, while working as a games master at Okeigbo/Ifetedo Grammar School, he met another games master during a competition in Akure. They had a brief conversation and went their separate ways.
Years later, Daddy Adeboye was pursuing his Master’s degree at the University of Lagos. He had applied to the Federal Government for a scholarship but received no response for over a year. Assuming he had been rejected, he continued paying his fees personally.
Then one day, walking across campus, he encountered the same games master from Akure. They talked, and Daddy Adeboye mentioned his scholarship application. The man’s response was astonishing: he remembered the application because Daddy Adeboye was the only postgraduate applicant in mathematics. He revealed that the scholarship had been unanimously approved—the interview was meant to be a mere formality, but somehow the letter never arrived.
Two weeks after that conversation, Daddy Adeboye received a letter from the Federal Ministry of Education granting him a full scholarship, backdated to the day he started his Master’s programme.
Think about what this means. An opportunity that seemed completely lost—a year had passed, no response had come, the assumption was rejection—was not only restored but backdated. God didn’t just give him the scholarship; He made it as if it had never been lost.
Peter: The Denier Who Became a Leader
The Bible reading provides an even more dramatic example of restoration. Peter had one of the greatest privileges any human could have—he walked with Jesus, learned from Him, and was part of His inner circle. But when the moment of testing came, he crumbled. Three times he denied knowing Jesus, with curses and swearing.
Think of the opportunity Peter lost. He could have stood with Jesus. He could have been a faithful witness. Instead, he became a coward and a liar. The memory of that failure haunted him. After the resurrection, when the women reported the empty tomb, Peter ran to see for himself. When Jesus appeared, Peter was there. But something was broken.
Then Jesus did something beautiful. By the Sea of Tiberias, after a night of fishing, Jesus cooked breakfast for His disciples. And then He turned to Peter. Three times He asked, “Lovest thou me?” Three times Peter answered yes. Three times Jesus gave him a commission: “Feed my lambs. Feed my sheep. Feed my sheep.”
The three questions matched the three denials. Jesus was systematically undoing Peter’s failure, giving him a new opportunity to affirm his love, and restoring his calling. And the result? The same Peter who denied Jesus before a servant girl later stood before the rulers who killed Jesus and declared boldly: “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).
Peter didn’t just get his opportunity back—he got it back multiplied. The coward became a martyr. The denier became a leader.
What This Means for You
You may be reading this today carrying the weight of lost opportunities:
- The job you should have gotten but didn’t
- The relationship that fell apart
- The business that failed
- The years wasted in sin
- The chance to serve God that you missed
- The testimony you lost through compromise
The enemy wants you to believe those opportunities are gone forever. He wants you to live with regret, thinking, “If only I had…” But today’s message declares: God specializes in restoration.
How Restoration Works
From these testimonies and Scriptures, we see a pattern for how God restores lost opportunities:
- Acknowledge the Loss: Daddy Adeboye mentioned his application. Peter returned to fishing—he knew something was broken. You must honestly face what you have lost.
- Ask for Mercy: Peter didn’t have to ask—Jesus came to him. But the devotional specifically says: “Ask God for mercy.” Humble yourself. Admit your failure. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
- Receive the New Opportunity: When Jesus asked Peter three times, Peter had to answer. He had to participate in his restoration. When the games master appeared, Daddy Adeboye had to speak up. You must be willing to walk through the door God opens.
- Move Forward in Faith: Peter didn’t stay by the sea fishing. He went to Jerusalem and became the leader of the early church. Daddy Adeboye didn’t just enjoy his scholarship—he continued his journey to becoming the General Overseer of RCCG. Restoration is not just about getting back what you lost—it’s about moving into what God has for you next.
What God Can Restore
The devotional mentions several categories of lost opportunities that God can restore:
- Career opportunities: Like the scholarship, God can bring back jobs, promotions, and connections you thought were gone.
- Spiritual opportunities: Like Peter’s calling, God can restore your place in His service even after failure.
- Family opportunities: Lost years with children, broken marriages—God can restore relationships.
- Financial opportunities: Businesses that failed, investments that crashed—God can bring restoration.
- Ministry opportunities: Doors that closed, calls that seemed revoked—God can reopen them.
The Backdated Blessing
One detail in Daddy Adeboye’s testimony is particularly powerful: the scholarship was backdated. God didn’t just give him the money from that point forward—He covered the past. The months when he had been paying his own fees were reimbursed. The loss was fully compensated.
This is what God does. He doesn’t just give you a new beginning—He redeems the past. He makes up for the years the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25). He restores not just the opportunity but the benefits of the opportunity as if it had never been lost.
Conclusion: Your Restoration Is Coming
If you have lost valuable opportunities—whether through your own fault, through circumstances beyond your control, or through the enemy’s schemes—today’s message is for you. The God who restored Daddy Adeboye’s scholarship and Peter’s calling is your God.
He is the Restorer of lost opportunities. He is the Giver of second chances. He is the One who backdates blessings to cover your past losses.
Ask for mercy today. Look for His intervention. And when He opens the door, walk through it. Your restoration is coming.
Pray this:
“Father, I come to You today carrying the weight of lost opportunities. I ask for Your mercy. Forgive me for every failure that cost me something precious. Restore to me the years the locusts have eaten. Bring back every good opportunity that seemed gone forever. Open doors that no man can shut. And when You restore, Lord, let it be backdated—let me not miss what I have lost. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Action Steps:
- Make a list: Write down specific opportunities you feel you have lost—jobs, relationships, spiritual callings, financial breakthroughs.
- Ask for mercy: Spend time in prayer confessing any role you played in losing those opportunities. Receive God’s forgiveness.
- Stay alert: Like Daddy Adeboye walking across campus, you never know when God will bring the right person across your path. Be ready to speak up.
- Don’t stay in the past: After restoration, move forward. Don’t let regret keep you from embracing what God has for you now.
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