Table of Contents
Open Heavens 13 April 2026 Today Devotional & Commentary
Author: Pastor E. A. Adeboye (General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG)
Topic: REVERSING OPPORTUNITIES
Memorise: Deuteronomy 30:3 (KJV)
“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.”
Read: John 21:15-19 (KJV)
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.
Today’s Message (Devotional Text)
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 I 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
Commentary & Exposition
Memorise: Deuteronomy 30:3
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, he met another games master during a competition in Akure. Years later, while pursuing his Master’s degree at the University of Lagos, he had applied for a government scholarship but received no response for over a year. Assuming rejection, he paid his fees personally.
Then one day on campus, he encountered the same games master from Akure, who now worked at the Federal Ministry of Education. The man revealed that Daddy Adeboye’s application had been unanimously approved—the interview was a formality, but the letter never arrived. Two weeks later, he received a full scholarship backdated to the start of his Master’s programme. An opportunity lost for over a year was not only restored but backdated. God didn’t just give 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. Peter had walked with Jesus, but at the moment of testing, he crumbled. Three times he denied knowing Jesus. The opportunity to stand with his Lord was lost. Heartbroken, he returned to fishing.
But Jesus sought him out. By the Sea of Tiberias, Jesus asked Peter three times, “Lovest thou me?” The three questions matched the three denials. Jesus systematically undid Peter’s failure, giving him a new opportunity to affirm his love and restoring his calling. 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). The coward became a martyr. The denier became a leader. He didn’t just get his opportunity back—he got it back multiplied.
What This Means for You
You may be carrying the weight of lost opportunities:
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The job you should have gotten but didn’t
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The relationship that fell apart
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The business that failed
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The years wasted in sin
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The chance to serve God that you missed
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The testimony you lost through compromise
The enemy wants you to believe those opportunities are gone forever. But today’s message declares: God specializes in restoration.
How Restoration Works
From these testimonies and Scriptures, we see a pattern:
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Acknowledge the Loss: Daddy Adeboye mentioned his application. Peter returned to fishing. You must honestly face what you have lost.
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Ask for Mercy: The devotional says, “Ask God for mercy.” Humble yourself. Admit your failure. God gives grace to the humble.
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Receive the New Opportunity: When Jesus asked Peter, Peter had to answer. When the games master appeared, Daddy Adeboye had to speak up. You must be willing to walk through the door God opens.
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Move Forward in Faith: Peter went to Jerusalem and became a leader. Daddy Adeboye continued his journey. 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
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Career opportunities: Jobs, promotions, connections.
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Spiritual opportunities: Your place in God’s service even after failure.
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Family opportunities: Lost years with children, broken marriages.
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Financial opportunities: Businesses that failed, investments that crashed.
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Ministry opportunities: Doors that closed, calls that seemed revoked.
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 of 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).
Conclusion: Your Restoration Is Coming
If you have lost valuable opportunities—whether through your own fault, circumstances, or 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, the Giver of second chances, the One who backdates blessings.
Ask for mercy today. Look for His intervention. And when He opens the door, walk through it. Your restoration is coming.
Prayer:
“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:
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Make a list: Write down specific opportunities you feel you have lost.
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Ask for mercy: Spend time in prayer confessing any role you played in losing those opportunities.
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Stay alert: Like Daddy Adeboye walking across campus, you never know when God will bring the right person across your path.
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Don’t stay in the past: After restoration, move forward. Don’t let regret keep you from embracing what God has for you now.
Amen.
