18/06/2026
OPEN HEAVEN DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY JUNE 19TH 2026
THEME: ALWAYS PRAISE GOD
MEMORISE: Praise ye the LORD: For it is good to sing praises unto our God; For it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
Psalm 147:1
READ: Isaiah 38:18-20
18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.
20 The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.
MESSAGE
Years ago, one of my daughters was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx, and the doctors told her that the only solution was to surgically remove her larynx (which is also known as the voice box). After the surgery, my wife and I visited her to pray and assure her that with God, all things are possible. Owing to the fact that her voice box had been removed. she couldn't speak, and the only way she could communicate was by texting. One day, I returned home from a trip, and as I got out of my car, I saw somebody rolling on the ground. It turned out to be my daughter, whose larynx had been removed and when she saw me, she said, "It's me, Daddy; I can speak again." I was genuinely grateful to God for restoring her voice and allowing her to sing praises to Him again.
Beloved, God gave you a voice so you could use it to praise Him. As long as you are alive, you should use your voice to praise Him continually. God deserves all your praise, and it is one sure way to get answers to your prayers.
During Hezekiah's reign, he appointed priests and Levites to minister to the Lord. Their job was to offer praise continually at the gates of the tents of the Lord, and the first thing anybody coming to the tents would see was the priests and Levites praising God (2 Chronicles 31:2). After a while, disaster struck, and King Hezekiah fell ill. He was so ill that God sent Prophet Isaiah to tell him that he would die. The king was devastated by the news, so he turned his face to a wall and cried out to God. He reminded God that he had walked before Him in truth and done things that were good in His sight. God heard his prayer and sent Isaiah to tell him that he would not die (Isaiah 38:1-8). The king knew how much God loves praise; therefore, he told God that the grave could not praise him and only the living could, as we see in today's Bible reading. Praise is always good and comely before God (Psalm 147:1).
Beloved, no matter what your circumstances are, you should praise God continually as long as you are alive. When you praise God, you are also destroying the enemy's plans and silencing the avenger (Psalm 149:6- 7). Let praise be your response to everything.
KEY POINT
Your voice exists primarily to sing praises to God.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 78-80
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A ADEBOYE
HYMN 18: PRAISE TO THE LORD THE ALMIGHTY
1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,
the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is
your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear;
now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.
2 Praise to the Lord, above
all things so wondrously reigning;
sheltering you under his wings,
and so gently sustaining!
Have you not seen all
that is needful has been
sent by his gracious ordaining?
3 Praise to the Lord, who will
prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy
shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriends you.
4 Praise to the Lord! O let all
that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath,
come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound
from his people again;
gladly forever adore him