19/07/2026
OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: SUNDAY JULY 19TH 2026
THEME: DELIVERANCE FROM CAREER AND ACADEMIC BURDENS
MEMORISE: But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Proverbs 4:18
READ: Luke 5:1-7
1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
MESSAGE
In today's Bible reading, Peter fished all night but caught nothing. He must have been frustrated, and I can relate to how he must have felt because I love to fish. I often go fishing to relax, and sometimes, within five minutes of throwing my hook in the water, I make a catch. On other occasions, however, I might spend an hour without catching any fish. Peter's efforts that night were in vain, not because he wasn't working hard, but because things just weren't working out for him.
When I was still a lecturer at the University of Lagos, an advertisement was made for a position at a company, and a professor applied. He was invited for an interview, and on getting to the venue of the interview, he found out that the chairman of the panel of interviewers was his fo
