Today’s Open Heavens devotional, 23 March 2026, is IN QUIETNESS AND CONFIDENCE
The daily devotion guide is written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
OPEN HEAVENS 23 MARCH 2026 DEVOTIONAL
TOPIC: IN QUIETNESS AND CONFIDENCE
MEMORISE:
For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.
Isaiah 30:15
READ: Psalm 112:1-9
1 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.
5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.
6 Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.
9 He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
RCCG OPEN HEAVENS 23 MARCH 2026 MESSAGE TODAY
When you encounter people who take all kinds of attacks without reacting, even when they have the ability to fight back and win, you must be careful not to offend them.
Such people are meek, and when they commit their attackers to God, it is better for the attackers to apologise and seek to resolve the issue immediately. This is because the God who can heal and deliver can also kill and destroy. When God is fighting on someone’s behalf, everyone who is against that fellow will be unable to handle the consequences.
A mother eagle once sent one of her eaglets to hunt for food. On its hunt, the eaglet saw a mother duck with her ducklings, grabbed one of them and took it to its mother.
On returning to their nest, the mother eagle asked the eaglet about what the mother duck did when it took her duckling, and the eaglet said that she just looked at him and did nothing. Surprised, the mother eagle asked, “It didn’t fight or make a fuss?” “No,” the eaglet responded. Immediately, the mother eagle told the eaglet to return the duckling and hunt for another prey. The eaglet returned the duckling, and the mother duck looked on without reacting.
Thereafter, the eaglet saw a mother hen with her chicks and grabbed one of them. When the eaglet took the chick home, its mother asked how the mother hen reacted. “She was furious and reacted fiercely,” the eaglet replied. Then, the mother eagle said that they could now eat.
When they finished eating, the eaglet asked its mother why she asked it to return the duckling to the quiet mother duck and why they ate the chick of the fierce mother hen. The mother eagle replied, “The hen has done all it can by shouting; however, the duck who didn’t fight back has handed you over to God, and the sky isn’t big enough for us to hide from God.”
Beloved, keeping calm in the face of negative situations and quietly trusting in God is a strategy for living victoriously.
In Psalm 46:10 God instructs you to be still and know that He is God. When you refuse to feel threatened by the devil’s antics and quietly put your confidence in God and not your abilities, you will experience God’s mighty power that will cause a turnaround in whatever negative circumstance you might be facing. Never give in to fear; trust quietly in God.
KEY POINT
The best strategy to overcome negative situations is to ask God for help, trust Him and remain calm as you await His interventions.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
1 Samuel 4-7
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OPEN HEAVENS 23 MARCH 2026 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: Isaiah 30:15
“For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.”
This verse reveals God’s paradoxical pathway to victory: not through striving, but through stillness; not through fighting, but through trusting. The Hebrew words are rich: “returning” (shuvah) implies repentance—turning from self-reliance back to God; “rest” (nachath) suggests settledness, a ceasing from anxious effort; “quietness” (shaqat) means to be undisturbed, to be at peace; “confidence” (bittachon) is absolute trust. The tragedy is in the final phrase: “and ye would not.” God offers rest; we choose restlessness. He offers quiet strength; we choose noisy weakness.
BIBLE READING: Psalm 112:1-9
This psalm paints the portrait of the one who trusts quietly in God:
v. 1: The foundation: Blessed is the man who fears the Lord and delights greatly in His commandments.
v. 2-3: The outcomes: Mighty seed, wealth, and righteousness—all flowing from this posture of reverent trust.
v. 4: The character: “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.” The quiet truster does not panic in obscurity; light arises.
v. 5-6: The stability: “He will not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.” Evil news does not destabilize him because his confidence is not in circumstances but in the unchanging God.
v. 7-8: The repetition of stability: “His heart is established, he shall not be afraid.”
v. 9: The generational impact: “His horn shall be exalted with honor.”
The Silent Strategy: When Quiet Trust Terrifies the Enemy
Pastor E.A. Adeboye employs a remarkable parable—the mother eagle’s lesson to her eaglet—to illustrate one of the most counterintuitive truths of spiritual warfare: the absence of reaction is often the most powerful reaction. Those who do not fight back when they could, who commit their cause to God rather than their own strength, are actually wielding a weapon more terrifying than any human retaliation. They have handed their attackers over to the Almighty.
1. The Parable of the Eagle and the Duck
The Mother Duck’s Silence:
- When the eaglet seized her duckling, the mother duck did nothing. She did not attack. She did not pursue. She did not even fuss. She simply watched, silent and still.
- The Eagle’s Interpretation: The mother eagle understood what the eaglet did not: the duck’s silence was not weakness but transference. She had handed the offense over to God. And when God becomes the offended party’s Advocate, the offender has nowhere to hide. “The sky isn’t big enough for us to hide from God.”
The Mother Hen’s Fury:
- When the eaglet seized her chick, the mother hen erupted. She attacked, screamed, and fought with everything she had.
- The Eagle’s Interpretation: The hen had exhausted her defense. She had done all she could by shouting. Once her fury was spent, she had nothing left. The eaglet and its mother could eat in peace because the hen’s reaction had no eternal dimension.
The Spiritual Principle:
- The duck’s silence invoked divine intervention. The hen’s fury exhausted human effort. Which response produced greater security for her young? Paradoxically, the silent duck may have secured her duckling’s release more effectively than the fighting hen secured her chick’s life.
2. The Theology of Transferred Vengeance
Romans 12:19:
- “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” When we take vengeance into our own hands, we are stealing what belongs to God. We are also limiting the quality of justice—human vengeance is imperfect; divine vengeance is complete.
The Mechanism of “Giving Place”:
- Paul’s phrase “give place” (dote topon) means to make room, to create space for God to act. When we fight back, we fill the space that God would occupy. When we remain still, we vacate the battlefield and invite the Divine Warrior to take our place.
Psalm 46:10:
- “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” The command to “be still” (raphah) means to let go, to sink down, to become helpless. It is the posture of a branch that has stopped trying to produce fruit and simply abides in the vine. In that posture, God promises to exalt Himself—and in exalting Himself, He exalts us.
3. The Testimony of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20)
The Context: Three armies united against Judah. Jehoshaphat was terrified but did not mobilize his military machine first. He “set himself to seek the Lord” and proclaimed a fast.
The Word: Through Jahaziel, God spoke: “Be not afraid nor dismayed… for the battle is not yours, but God’s… Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 20:15-17).
The Response: Jehoshaphat and the people worshipped. They appointed singers to go before the army, praising the beauty of holiness.
The Result: God set ambushes against the enemy. They destroyed each other. Israel spent three days collecting the spoil. They won without fighting.
The Principle: The stillness of worship was more powerful than the noise of warfare. Their quiet confidence released divine intervention.
4. The Danger of Self-Defense
When Fighting Back Limits God:
- Like the mother hen, we exhaust our resources in self-defense. We shout, we scheme, we strategize. And when our energy is spent, we have nothing left. Meanwhile, the enemy may have merely retreated temporarily, not been defeated permanently.
The Illusion of Victory Through Striving:
- Winning an argument does not win a soul. Defeating an opponent in court does not defeat the spiritual power behind them. Human victories are temporary; divine victories are eternal. The question is not whether we can win, but whether our winning method invites or replaces God’s involvement.
5. The Testimony of Jesus (1 Peter 2:23)
The Ultimate Model of Quiet Trust:
- “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.” Jesus had all power at His disposal. He could have called twelve legions of angels (Matthew 26:53). He chose silence.
- The Result: His silent suffering purchased our salvation. His refusal to fight back defeated death itself. The resurrection was the Father’s vindication of the Son’s quiet trust.
How to Practice Quiet Confidence
Recognize That Silence Is Not Weakness:
- The world equates silence with surrender. The kingdom knows that silence can be the highest form of strength. When you refuse to react, you are not admitting defeat; you are transferring the battle to a higher court.
Develop the Discipline of “Giving Place”:
- When attacked, offended, or threatened, consciously pray: “Lord, I give this situation to You. I vacate the battlefield. I ask You to take my place. Vengeance is Yours; I will not steal it. Justice is Yours; I trust Your timing and Your methods.”
Cultivate a Heart Fixed on God, Not Circumstances:
- Psalm 112:7-8 describes the one “whose heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.” A fixed heart does not sway with every wind of news or every wave of offense. It is anchored in the character of God, not the chaos of circumstances.
Replace Fear with Worship:
- Jehoshaphat’s response to the word of the Lord was worship. When fear knocks, answer with praise. The presence of God, invited through worship, is the safest place in any battle.
Learn the Eagle’s Discernment:
- The mother eagle could distinguish between an enemy who had exhausted itself (the hen) and an enemy who had invoked divine intervention (the duck). Ask the Holy Spirit for discernment to know when to fight and when to be still—and the wisdom to know the difference.
Warning: The Danger of False Stillness
Stillness Is Not Passivity:
- Quiet confidence is not laziness. It is not refusing to act when God commands action. Joshua had to march around Jericho; he could not simply sit still and wait for the walls to fall. Stillness is a posture of the heart, not necessarily of the body. It means the heart is at rest even when the feet are moving.
Stillness Without Trust Is Presumption:
- If you are still because you are too lazy to pray or too proud to admit need, that is not faith; it is foolishness. Biblical stillness is always accompanied by confident trust in God. It is not the absence of activity but the absence of anxiety.
Conclusion: The Silence That Terrifies the Enemy
Pray this:
“Lord God Almighty, I confess my addiction to self-defense. I have fought back when I should have been still. I have shouted when I should have trusted. Forgive me. Today, I choose the way of quiet confidence. I commit every attack, every offense, every injustice into Your hands. I vacate the battlefield. I give place to Your wrath, knowing that Your justice is perfect and Your timing is flawless. Fix my heart on You alone. Let me be like the one described in Psalm 112—unafraid of evil tidings, established, secure in Your love. When the enemy watches my stillness, let him tremble, knowing that I have handed him over to You. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.”
Action Steps:
- The 24-Hour Silence Challenge: The next time you are offended or attacked, commit to not responding for 24 hours. No defensive words, no explanatory texts, no vindicating social media posts. Simply pray and wait. At the end of 24 hours, assess what God has done in your heart and in the situation.
- The “Give Place” Prayer Card: Write Romans 12:19 on a card. Place it where you will see it daily—your phone wallpaper, your bathroom mirror, your car dashboard. When offense comes, touch the card and pray: “Lord, I give place to You in this matter.”
- The Psalm 112 Declaration: Read Psalm 112 aloud daily for 30 days. Personalize it: “My heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. I am not afraid of evil tidings. Light arises in my darkness.”
- The Worship Response Protocol: Establish a habit: before you respond to any negative situation, spend at least 5 minutes in worship. Let praise be your first reaction, not your last resort.
Remember: When you commit your cause to God, you make the universe too small for your enemies to escape His justice.
“The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” (Exodus 14:14). Hold your peace. He is fighting. The silence you keep is the sound of His approaching victory.
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